Boatshed

We were up at the estuary last Saturday, and Sam did well to capture some beautiful images on his miniature phone camera. Sunlight slanting from the west,  water flowing into the sea, and ripples moving upstream all came together at the right time.

Those hieroglyphics in the sand must be evidence of a Lady Bay ‘news cycle’ beyond our ken. If ever we come to decipher them, I imagine there will be little else to accomplish.

They say that practice makes perfect – or at least better – so I’m giving it a shot. I won’t be cutting into the soundboard until I am confident of a worthwhile result.

Or to put it another way:  the Wabi Sabi philosophy  is not going to save me from a charge of incompetence.

There are countless rose designs. I have chosen the original rose used for  George Gerle’s six course lute (16th century), of which my own lute will be a humble replica. The Lute evolved from the Arabic Oud, and the Gerle rose was designed to reflect that inheritance.

Samples in the photo are of Huon Pine, King William Pine and European Spruce. I am inclined to the Huon Pine: it cuts sweetly, carves sweetly, and is in every respect a beautiful wood.

I keep practicing.

After cutting a Rose,  I must learn how to  carve the decoration  in relief: a delicate job requiring miniature knives, chisels  – and a steady hand.

But one thing at  a time; the apprenticeship continues….

This seems to have worked out ok. I am still cleaning up excess glue. The top edge of the endclasp is planed flush with the rim of the lute body – and both ends shaped so that they can eventually merge with the curves of the soundboard.

Next task is, indeed, construction of a soundboard. I plan to make one from Huon Pine; another from King William Pine; thereafter, cut a Rose decoration in each – and then form a judgement, or perhaps toss a coin: whatever seems appropriate….

Yankalilla Landscape: watercolour by Mark Pearse.

In his landscape work, Mark was forever exploring.  At the same time, he had mastered the rare art of knowing when to stop.

Yamagoe: Over the Mountain

Shiko Munakata (1903 – 1975)

The concern that it be ugly is characteristic of human thoughts and not of the woodcut itself.

If you are already solving the problem with the equipment you have – a pencil, say – why solve it with something more expensive and damaging? If you don’t have a problem, why pay for a solution? If you love the freedom and elegance of simple tools, why encumber yourself with something complicated?

Wendell Berry 1989

Monument: Central Japan

Shiko Munakata (1903 – 1975)

Almost there.

Seen from above, the horse-shoe curve of the endclasp is reasonably straightforward; its just a matter of shaping it on the bending iron. But shaping the vertical plane is more complicated, because it has to keep twisting in order to accommodate the ever-changing vertical contours of the lute body. And just to complicate matters: where the bottom edge of the endclasp  picks up the edge of each rib, I must smooth away the ridges.

Difficult, but not impossible. My next attempt, on the next lute, should be easier to navigate.

During the past year, our colony of Greenhood Orchids has expanded: we now have about ninety plants. They clearly like their sheltered home on the lee side of the Boatshed.

Greenhood Ground Orchids are endemic to Fleurieu Peninsula – but I doubt that they occur naturally so close to the ocean. Our Boatshed colony is probably unique, and much cherished.

From time to time the little orchids show their  heads above  the parapet….just as I do with my Boatshed commentaries. In that sense, I see them as kindred spirits…..