Being Chairitable


Here's a Quickie early morning post to show that I managed to finish one of the half-chairs today, it surprised me. I've tried placing the wooden chair up against the tree or the wall in the cottage but it never looked quite right. This morning I instead made it into a half-chair/half-table, or as I've dubbed it, Chairitable.


I took apart a wooden heart-shaped box and cut the lid in half HA! to use as the end table top. I knew I wanted curvy cabriolé-shaped legs and so set about building them up out of odd wooden shapes as I had on the wooden bed. After it was assembled, I filled in all holes and seams with wood putty, painted it with transparent acrylics. Oh, and I added myrtle pod petals as claws on the end of the leg, which I love. It's just a small suggestion that the table may be alive in some way too.

I dropped my pretty little porcelain flower vase twice while mocking up the chair (seen repaired in main shot above). Glued it back together enough to still use it as my prop but it's a great thing it won't have to hold water. The fresh-looking flowers are real blooms and greens that have been dried with silica powder. They will now remain this way in shape and color permanently.

Chairitable will live just inside the cottage door, next to pegged rack for cloak and hat. I like to imagine what sort of creatures might come to visit Rana that might be comfortable in such a half-chair.

Hoping to have more to show here soon.

Comments

  1. The half-chair-pillow just sells it, beautiful!

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  2. Yay for puns! I wouldn't mind a chair like that, for when I'm on the edge of my seat.

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  3. Damn, that's a mighty fine design! I'd be tempted to purchase a full-size version in real life. Love it!

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  4. Anonymous3:52 PM

    I thought that was a photo of a real chair/table at first!Brilliant!

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  5. Beautiful! Nice paint job, and I love the claws, they do give it a sense of life!

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  6. I love the piece and the word "chairitable"

    You know what, the back of the chair remainded me a half cello... and the half table's leg with claws makes a kind of illusion like someone playing a cello... Vaoww nice pic..

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  7. Now THAT just rocks!!!

    Err.... I mean, I know, it's not a rocking chairitable, but I just meant... aww, you know!!! Another one right out of that park Shelley!!!!

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  8. Gosh. Thank you, Everyone. every. one.

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  9. As usual, I love this piece. It's awesome. I have to know though, how do you dry flowers with silica powder?

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  10. wow: that's such an amazing... pun! :D also, i'm surprised to learn sven wants a full-sized one. i'll put that on his gift list!

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  11. Hi, Rich, The flower drying is an interesting prop solution when a real floral look is called for. Nothing real and fresh could really be used for stop motion,at least in my case, as it would wilt and change over time and not be stable.

    I pick small scale flowers when I see them and then keep them for a week in a deli container filled with Silica gel crystals (like these: http://www.jakesmp.net/CSD_Silica_Gel/CSD_Silica_013_M.html)

    They can come out looking nearly fresh and dewy, especially if the dried floral can be somehow gently covered in a not-to-glossy coating.

    I added more tiny plant roots to the carrot prop that had been dried this way. That turned out a great solution for getting those particular little roots for your veggies.

    Hi gl, Thanks so much. I was thinking Sven would do a fabtastic job making a real-sized chairitable out of the right chair and table found at a garage sale or flea market. They could be sawn down and secured together cleverly.

    It would look great next to a half clock and painting. Wait--I think that must be in my head from Willy Wonka!

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  12. Thanks for that Shel, I was thinking only the other day that it would be fun to do a sculpture of one of my Encapsulate Worlds but had no idea how I could put the giant flowers into it without using something tacky looking like a silk flower. You've provided the perfect answer. Cheers!

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  13. Great! Have fun hunting for tiny florals as you walk about.

    Know that the dried flowers will be delicate when done, like regular dried flowers, except the color and shape is intact.

    If you want/need them to be more durable, maybe you could spritz them with an acrylic sealant to coat them with mangling and then brush on a semi-gloss gently.

    I put the flowers in an airtight container layers with a 1/2 (HA!) inch of the silica crystal powder face up and then carefully pour more of the powder over them to fill the container.

    The only hard part is leaving it all alone for a week while the dry out.

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  14. Excellent work!

    jriggity

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  15. PS. Gerald's last day is very sweet. Great film!

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  16. Isn't it!? Makes me want to adopt a puppy real badly!

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  17. That looks great, Shelley! Once again you've inspired us. Haven't been doing much on our set lately, but are about to get back it tomorrow.
    Take care!
    Jed xo

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  18. Thanks, Mr. Jed, I'm working on my set today tooooooo! YAYAYAYAYUAYAY!

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  19. Anonymous1:48 AM

    Wonderful idea, the chairitable!
    I'm not half the man I used to be, so maybe I could sit in one!

    I've put a test video of the swimming tuna at my Youtube page.
    This might be it, the library computer won't display the videos and my booking time is running out:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FGc7V3dwhc
    Otherwise, look for Tuna Test B at StopmoNick channel.

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  20. Anonymous9:42 AM

    I LOVE the chairitable! Just love it! The flowers are perfectly placed. I agree with Yaz, there is something musical/cello about it. Very alive.

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  21. Nick! I had no clue about your YouTube channel! I ran all the clips there that I hadn't seen and wow! The Brief Candle! I'm stealing that, sorry~got to. Too good for 1/2L. not to.

    And the Tuna test looked amazing, what a fantastic puppet. Loved the school of them, fooled me completely. Glad you got some footage with this guy and I'm serious when I offer to send him back after his cameo here if you'd ever like to use 'em for something else.

    Thanks, Peggy! Must be the wooden cabriolé shaped legs and the vertical spindles that make it look so like an instrument?

    PS: I've not been to the mailbox this week, so your fabulous fish puppet is sitting in the dark alone waiting for me! I must go Monday am especially!

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  22. Hi Shelley,
    I am blown away by the charitable, the claws work so well,,makes it seem alive. Just amazing.
    Marcie

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  23. Thanks, Marcie! I ALWAYS want to see the claws on this type of wood table leg! Now I made it!

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