Every now and then a special project comes along that really stretches my skills and creative process.  This sign project for an artist friend evolved out of some ideas this winter and we worked together to design and create a ‘business branding’ concept that reflects Montana, her work and the historic nature of Butte.   Made of sheet aluminum with reclaimed copper  interior panels which are visible through the negative space lettering the signs hit the mark on what we hoped to achieve.  The black lettering is engraved and painted,  hammered-copper riveting, distressed patinated edging and fasteners complete an old world look.   It is always a fun challenge to work with talented people who keep an open dialogue and have vision of what the final project will become.  Thanks to Mike for the bracket work and a talented client, this project ranks as a favorite ever and I am proud to say it came through my studio.

One of the fascinating woods I have worked with in the past several years is beetle killed pine.  Millions of acres of forests in North America have been decimated by the small IPS bark beetle over the last decade yet there is beauty as a result of the destruction.   The beetle introduces a bacteria into the tree in the cambium layer of the growth rings and the result is a stunning effect known as blue stain.  The staining occurs rapidly in the sapwood and does not affect the heartwood of the tree.   This is an experimental piece I worked with made of thin crosscuts of lodgepole blue stain pine.

The past few weeks have been mild here in the mountains and I’ve been honored to work on a stairway project high on the continental divide.  These are The Highlands south of Butte and it has been inspiring to make the drive to the property and enjoy views like this.   Today I watched the storms roll across the mountain and forgot my little problems in the valley.

On the hottest day of last summer my friend Jeff stopped by and told me a garage was being demolished near his home.  The site supervisor told him to salvage anything he wanted so immediately he came and got me.  We sweated and got sun-burned pulling what we wanted to keep.  I made a flag from a section of the garage wall .. it is about 37″ tall and 72″ wide.  Under the collapsed walls we found a great stash of clear pine planks.  A long time ago a fellow woodworker stored them but never got around to using them .. thanks ol’ friend!

The summer of ‘08 I enjoyed the privilege of working with clients creating a blue-stain pine rail system and front entry doors for their home near Butte, Montana.   As we let the project develop we always found joy in the process,  shared laughter in our conversations and we have become friends as a result.  Thank you Bill and Anna.

The lodgepole ’blue-pine’ used for this project was harvested within sight of their incredible home which is surrounded by the continental divide.  The staining in the lumber is a result of bark beetles that are killing millions of acres of forest in North America.   I’ve worked with beetle killed lumber for several years and I try to utilize reclaimed woods including vertical grain fir, oak and pine timbers from renovation projects in the Butte area.

I had some fun last summer watching a variety of flowers grow on the corner.  Some were mammoth sunflowers that added some color and now have become birdfood.