A box in Ash & African Blackwood - Critique, please

[John. B]

A box in Ash & African Blackwood,
80mm high x 85mm diam. finial 55mm. ebonised bead and interior, textured top.
Finish is melamine and carnuba wax.



John. B

 

[cornucopia]

overall I like it john
but i feel the transition from the finial to the flater toped lid looks kinda odd- doesnt seem to flow right for my taste.

I do like the way you have tied the finial in with the black rim (thats visible when the lids on)and black interior- works really well

 

[mark sanger]

Hi

I like the form of the box and the contrasting colours. I think the finial does not suit the base form.

the base for me is a traditional/classical form for boxes. the finial is too much of a shape contrast.

However it is a taste thing/subjective. Perhaps if you turn a bead below the finial this will give a full stop to the box and a soft form/entry into the finial. If you have a go at this make the bead/sphere 2/3 the base diameter of the finial.

At the end of the day it is a nice piece of work. Experiment.

The finish and detail is very good.

 

[stevebuk]

love it john, love the contrast between the woods and love the figure on the side of the box, i thought you had pyrographed an apple at first.
well done.

 

[Bodrighy]

Make sure you don't leave it somewhere where peopl sit down :shock:

Seriously it is a lovely combination though there is something about the finial that doesn't quite gell for me...purely a design matter and that is in the eye of the beholder.

First glance it look just the thing for a ladies dressing table. Just looks feminine. (That isn't what'swrong though :lol

 

[tekno.mage]

Oooh! That finial's pointy I'd be terribly afraid of breaking the end off it - or having it stick in my finger.

I do like the contrast between the ash (nice figure on the side of the box, BTW) and black, and the box itself is lovely, but I'm inclined to agree with other people here regarding the finial & box together. Perhaps a shorter, more rounded finial would have looked better?

tekno.mage

 

[Blister]

John =D>

I like this a lot

I can see Johns design idea , the finial has the same curve as the box , personaly I would not have had a gap between the base and the box lid , if you had used a different rounded curve on the base of the finial it would have looked out of place :?

You have come on a long way with boxed since we made Toms wedding ring box , I believe your involvement in that project was your first attempt at box making ?

Well don John :wink:

 

[Jenx]

Hi John.
I really like this piece. --
I'm also of the view that the finial echoes the outside profile of the box, and love the contrast in the colours.

The only thing I'm not sure about is the textured appearance on the top.. the slight 'swirling' effect ... I would have preferred 'smooth', but thats just a personal thing, and I'm sure the effect has equal appeal to the eyes of beholders as it were.

For me, you have the proportions of the piece nicely balanced, the lid is just right in relation to the body, and finial length is spot-on.

All in all, a very nice piece of work.
I like it a lot

 

[johnny.t.]

I like it John 8) As its for critique and all I will say I do think a small round knob would have looked better than the finial but thats not to say it doesn't look good with it because it does.
A fine box, good stuff

JT

 

[John. B]

Thanks Gents, for your comments,
I wasn't too sure myself about the finial, but wanted a contrast to the ash and I only had a small bit of blackwood.
I shall get another chunk of blackwood cos I have another idea about a finial design.
I'll see how it fits in with this box, the present one is only peg fitted so it comes off with little trouble.
The ash was given to me at my turning club as a firewood log offcut so it was fortunate that it turned out as well as it did.

John. B

 

[mikec]

Hi John,

I agree with the comments about the finial but I think the concept and execution are great. The black ring at the join continuing into the interior is a good contrast. The form of the box is good, I also think it is very suitable for a feminine dressing table. All IMHO

Regards,

Mike C

 

[Finial]

I think the overall effect is good, but I don't think blackwood is the right thing to use with ash. It is very fine grained and dense and shows the comparative coarseness of the ash. Possibly ebonised wood might be better here? Or use something like holly instead of the ash. I agree that the finial shape is not right but it's nearly there. You don't want it too plain. How about putting more curve into the finial so it flares out more at the bottom and sweeps into the flat of the box top. Perhaps not quite so tall.