Show and Tell

I used to paint quite a bit before I got into “Laser-Cuttin”. Here are a few of my paintings.


“Go Marching In…”


“Montreal Jazz”


“The Band has Arrived”

I’ve not done much painting recently, since I’ve been pretty busy. But one day I’ll get back into it.

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Very nice! Talk about mileage, that mill cart has some character! You need established muscle memory to maneuver around that thing in the dark!

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Wow, very nice @polarbrainfreeze!
I like the style! I have never put pigment to anything and been happy with it. I have a lot of talents in life - but painting and making money have never been among them.:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Wonderful paintings, Ben! They are so colorfully cheerful and have almost a cartoon quality to them. Very talented work. Makes me think of New Orleans/Mardi Gras.

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As much as I am attracted to steampunk, since so much of it is form over function, I tend to dismiss it as impractical. Great for dress up, but not IRL. I do like the industrial desgn of the mill cart that is overkill on the metal, but still functional. Every once an a while bowling alley lane material comes up on Craigslist. I’ve thought that it would be great to have, but it’s usually priced too high and too far away to travel. If I could just find some at hand, now that would be great. So love all these pictures and the creativity. And @polarbrainfreeze, wow! That is some very attractive art! I want to be in those pictures having fun!

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Wonderful response from everyone! Gives us something to do with the forum while we mill around waiting for the shoe to drop.

I mentioned a table earlier, here is a few shots…
First the raw material.


Then cleaned,

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Then assembled.

While I was digging for pictures…
A simple bronze wire sculpture I threw together.

I ground a flat on top that plays nicely with the light as you traverse the room.

And here is my favorite of all the opal I’ve cut. Perfectly homogeneous, no other color.
It looks like turquoise at any distance. (bad picture)

Did this as a gift for my son and his wife. if you look closely, you can see a bite mark out of his arse. A reminder to face your fears - and chase the Dragon.


Airbrushed with transparent paint so the texture can play with the light.
And last, my vacation self and my alter ego.

(I gave him the beads, earring and knife immediately after I saw Pirates of the Caribbean!)
my 1st mate, he watches over the bar. :skull_crossbones:

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You make truly beautiful art, my friend! Looks like it would take three men and a boy to move that table. Loved seeing some of what I’m sure are many things that you’ve created.

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HOLY…JESUS…CHRIST!!! You guys are just…holy crap! I don’t even have the words for how amazed I am.

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Quite a group here no?
I knew there was material for this thread out there. Such a diverse group.

Thank you @Xabbess!
The table has a lot of gravity associated with it. Neighborhood of 400 lbs.

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OK…here is my very limited contribution… made very many years ago and quite tarnished, to boot. I took one jewelry class (couldn’t afford more) and was taught to make forged and cast jewelry. My very first piece was comprised of a silver torque which held, I think, about 4 or 5 of these forged pendants that people thereafter described as fishing lures. To me, it was very “Scandinavian modern”. For some reason, I ended up with only these two and during my ‘hippie days’, must have decided they looked much ‘cooler’ on leather. Hmmm… :expressionless: (Maybe I used the other three as offerings or like Celtic ring money?) It’s actually been one of my all-time favorite pieces.


I had taken photos of a silver and carnelian ring I made, too…but the photos are just too lousy to post.

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I really like the style/design. I agree, the leather works very well. Could be modern, or ancient… timeless.

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I posted this in the “what do you do professionalIy” thread but I figured I’d post here too…
Besides doing laser cut fun stuff, Im also a professional face and body painter. Just did Ronda Rousey twice for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue for February. Here are a few others…

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How cool!!
I’ll bet you are in demand around Halloween.
I presume you have a good sample of your portfolio framed and displayed on your walls!
Thanks for sharing!

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I started as an illustration student, but have since switched to sculpture/metalsmithing/jewelry making. I just discovered Worbla (which is laser cuttable!) and I work a lot in metal. But I still draw here and there. (Fell in love with scrimshaw this last semester too. :D)

The bronze face needs some major clean up and shine, but the skull bird mask goes with it.

I’ve also been working in iron, but no pictures of that on my computer.

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Very nice work!
Your sculpture is great, I’m really liking the patina on the bronze, I might elect to “sneak up” on removing it selectively until satisfaction with it jumps out at you.
I’ll bet the forge is going to renew your interest in drawing!
Cool scrimshaw on the antler! (especially the shading that makes it pop) Is the blade your work also?
Thank you for sharing with us!

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That’s how the bronze came out of the mold. I usually fall in love with how metal looks without any work done on it (which makes it hard to work on!) but this piece needs to be mirror shined.

I did make the knife from start to finish, yes. Though not the tool steel haha. I cut the shape from a blank.

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Nice job on that grind.
OK, if you tell me you cast that mask yourself, I drop to my knee and bow my head in respect.

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thank you!

Ahaha that mask isn’t even metal. it’s Worbla (thermoplastic frequently used for costume armor) and acrylic paint! I did make the clay form over a plaster of that bronze face to shape it though. :smiley: I’m in sculpture class right now. So all our casting in there is a team effort. We do bronze and aluminum and iron once a year in summer. No knee-dropping necessary.

I am working on learning how to do small-scale casting myself.

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I have zero experience with aluminum casting, but I am geared for and have experience with bronze and precious metals, so it is just a matter of time… my perception is that aluminum is less demanding and touchy regarding solidification range and need to insulate it from atmospheric oxygen… but as I said, I am ignorant of it.
I did a lot of jewelry casting and found it very rewarding.

OK, not compelled to drop to my knee, but I must salute your talent and skill! Thanks!

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Super cool…I love the skull

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