At long last! I have been so busy doing other things yet have longed to be in the studio making things and all that goes with it. Especially pieces like this. It was challenging and a lot of new techniques and strategies were called for not the least of which was a new level of patience.
rex mortuus est, vivat rex
the king is dead long live the king
I started this piece long ago and finally it was ready to test drive this weekend. Jenny and I took it out on Saturday and we both felt it was quite comfortable, not too heavy and definitely a show stopper. Jenny was walking around the grocery store and people were (not so slyly) trying to catch a second (sometimes third) look without coming right up to her and asking to see.
When I worked at large places like Washington State and Hewlett Packard it was fun to try out new pieces because I’d get immediate feedback. Some people knew about what I did and would come all the way across the office to see what kind of things I put together this time. Mostly the response was good but sometimes they would cringe or not feel comfortable with them but that was fine too. Just interesting to see their reactions.
Now living in such a small town and still very much an “outsider” I don’t really have very much feedback. I’ve heard it takes at least 15 years before you are considered a local.
–> back to The Sparrow King.
He lives in a sequestered reliquary nearly hidden from view. The Sparrow peers out through the thick glass evermore but an ornate filigree shutters the window to obscure the curious glance of any casual onlookers. Further exploration will reveal that he can be openly viewed and even removed. It is merely a matter of knowing how.
And yes, Curious Ones, that will be shown to you now.
The filigree shutter can be swung out to the left to view him through the window (or even to the right if the key closure is removed so we’ll get to that next!).
Opening the key closure is a two step process. First pull the royal pin on the Holy Hand Grenade– oh crap that’s so Monty Python. Let me try again . . . pull the royal pin up through the hole in the shaft of the key.
Then gently wiggle the key from the two round supports on the side (as you can see one holds the window in place and the other secures the key to the other section). Do you wish you had some Ikea style instructions about now? It only sounds complex because I’m a former geek. But really it’s quite simple. Here are the photos . . .
So here’s another way of saying it– yank that puppy in the back straight up. Then pull the key towards you. Wallah! It’s unlocked and ready to open. ; )
Now just pull the silver thingie in the back UP
Then pull the key out
Now that the key closure is removed, the glass window can now be moved from side to side.
I didn’t have the heart to permanently attach him inside and he is quite grateful for that. It’s good to be king.
Other views
The ornate back is fit for a king.
Such a beautiful bird.
I sincerely hope I didn’t offend with too much detail in how to open it. Did I go overboard with the instructions or were those helpful?
Here is the etsy listing and here is some of the work in progress from a previous post.
Coming soon: Illuminant ~ a light bulb moment.
