Summer, Social Media, Shows & Sculpture

SUMMER

As the summer heat gathers and begins to bear down on us.... (okay! okay! I know technically it is spring and summer is a month away) but seriously this IS Texas - and it is already in the 100's around these parts.  We are trying to figure out how to keep the shop cool enough for Lou  (& Barney) to actually WANT to go to work in it.  I vote for a swimming pool but we would need one serious filter to keep that mesquite sawdust and English mastiff  hair from clogging up the system.  Lou wants an air conditioner but I know he would take one look at the first month's bill and never turn it on again. So I guess we will suffer through another Hill Country summer. We are all ears if you have a suggestion for an inexpensive, efficient way to cool a mesquite furniture making, wood shop in the heat of a Texas summer.

"Curves" Mesquite Coffee Table by Lou Quallenberg

SOCIAL MEDIA & SUCH

Does anyone else feel like the world is on hyper warp speed?  Trying to keep up with marketing and social media it is a non stop learning curve. We are currently on facebook, twitter, Linked in, and blogger, we email, snail mail, we have land lines and cell phones and it is all almost too much to keep track of. Oh and did I mention a website in bad need of a face-lift? I am thankful  that it is already a pretty mobile friendly website or that project would be marked "UBER" urgent.  

This QR code takes the reader to our website.

Our latest marketing effort is directed specifically at mobile users. We are incorporating QR codes into our marketing materials. What? You don't know what a QR code is? QR is short for quick response and a QR code has the ability to take a mobile user  with a smart phone directly to your website, video, message or phone number or information that you have embedded into the QR code. The QR code looks like a small square stamp-like bar code. Very popular in Japan since inception in 1994, they are finally starting to show up everywhere in the US. The only downside I can see is Microsoft's version Microsoft Tag, AT&T's version Mobile Barcode Services and the French company mobiletag watering down the use of QR codes making it confusing for consumers to know how to use them. It is frustrating enough when you can't get the darn thing to work as it is and adding three other tags to the mix means multiple code readers are needed. Yuck! I can't wait until they get the photo technology and image recognition precise enough to just take a photo to of the product to get more info about it. Yikes! That is really on its way folks! Check it out here: http://www.geosyncglobal.com/Kooaba.html  and http://www.pongr.com 

SHOWS

Unfortunately or maybe fortunately (because we are blessed to have the work) again due to a backlog of work and another October deadline this year, we will be unable to attend the Western Design Conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We always look forward to this juried show, the wonderful artists it attracts and the chance to get out of the horrendous Texas heat. We may or may not make the Texas Mesquite Festival October7th-9th in Fredericksburg this year. It is an outdoor show and we just hate to do that to our furniture. The weather can be tricky in October. We do plan to make it to the 12th Annual Texas Furniture Makers Show  November 10th - December 10th at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center.  Lou has been honored to receive the Best Texas Style Award for the past three years in a row at this juried show that puts about 50 Texas Furniture Makers on display for a full month in a beautiful gallery setting.

Who really knows what artists want from a show? The artists of course!

Several of our extremely talented artist friends recently exhibited at a very expensive but poorly publicized and poorly attended show. This was very expensive show representing top notch artists from all over the country.  We had seriously considered putting Lou's work in this show but could not find time to make it work. We are so thankful now that we did not have the time and did not spend the money to attend this disastrous show. It did however get a group of us talking about putting together our own show or shows. Who really knows what artists want from a show? The artists of course! and the answer really is simple we just want buyers. Well maybe buyers and exposure, but mainly buyers!

If you have never been, you really owe it to yourself to attend the 40th Annual The Texas Arts & Craft Fair with over 200 artists and artisans is an amazing place to discover an artist or unique gift item. It is an outdoor show and really not an outlet for our work, but we love to attend, buy gifts and be inspired.  If you make it to Kerrville on Memorial Weekend you should also check out The 8th Annual Texas Masters of Fine Art and Craft Invitational Exhibition at the YO Ranch Resort and Hotel.  We stumbled on this show several years ago and are happy to see it is still going strong, representing the best of Texas Art and artists. We shouldn't be surprised since the show is organized and run by artists!

SCULPTURE

Lou Quallenberg's Sculptural Mesquite Furniture

Lou Quallenberg's mesquite furniture has always had a sculptural feel to it but ever since the Dancing Trees his work is taking on more and more of a sculptural feeling.  This was made really evident to us as we finally found some time to photograph the "Curves Table".  

Sculptural side view of "Curves"

Lou Quallenberg's work has always had a sculptural feel to it but ever since the Dancing Trees his work is taking on more and more of a sculptural feeling.

Lou Quallenberg's Sculptural Mesquite Furniture

Our Sell Sheet layout for "Curves"

This table was Lou's first attempt at adding a glass top.  The glass is a beautiful, clear, large, piece of Starphire® glass. It was also a new design look and leg style.  He turned the mesquite slab  upside down from the way he normally uses it.  Isn't it interesting that sometimes when we turn things upside down  we discover that they are more beautiful than they were right side up? Perspective ALWAYS changes things.   The dimensions of the table are 96”Lx 20”Wx 18”H.  

Maybe you have space in a special place for this beautiful award winning show piece?

Making Connections for Dancing Trees and in Life

Lou Quallenberg with the rough cut mesquite slabs of his Dancing Trees

The Mesquite Screen Scaffold

As you can see Lou Quallenberg's latest project, the Dancing Trees are now up and standing.  He achieved this feat with the help of a scaffold built specifically for that purpose.

All kinds of neat things have been created for this very special project. The one I wanted to talk about this month are the Connections, the special mesquite hardware pieces, Lou created that will connect the mesquite slabs to each other. There will be twelve of these beauties and each one will be sized and specially sculpted for it's specific location.

The Connections are created from solid chunks of squared 4"x4"x12-18" mesquite blocks that were cut into thin 1/8th inch slices.  The slices were then organized into opposite grained sets for strength and taped together.  Next they are glued together using System Three epoxy. We use this more expensive epoxy because so far it is the strongest epoxy we have found on the market. Once glued up they are then clamped and left to dry for several days.

After the glued blocks are dry they are then trimmed and cut into blocks the specific size required. The blocks are very carefully measured for their spot and then sculpted using the band saw, spindle sander, grinders and sand paper  to achieve the desired look. The different colors of the mesquite slices and the opposite grains give the Connection its striped variations. Lou thinks of them as mini tree limbs and each is a sculpted treasure.

Glued and Clamped Block

Mesquite Slices

 Taped Set of Mesquite Slices

The groove is cut into the sculpted piece using a router and jig. The tongue for the Connection is made from maple and will be screwed into the slab opposite of the sculpted Connection.  The tongue portion of the Connection will not be visible. Mesquite can be brittle and in order to ensure the durability of these Connections another hard wood was chosen.  These will be long lasting Connections.

 Mesquite Connector & Maple Tongue

Mesquite Connector and Block

Speaking of Connections I wanted to talk a bit about connections in business and the connections that weave throughout our lives.  First I want to mention how important it is to connect and follow up with your clients according to Richard Koch in The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less  using Pareto's Principle eighty percent of your business comes from twenty percent of your clients (it seems to be pretty much true for  Lou Quallenberg Studios.)  That twenty percent is important to your success!

Wet Mesquite Connection

Call them, email them follow up make that connection. You cannot fake the connection but if you honestly love what you are doing then you probably have formed some form of connection with that client. Nurture that connection!  It's basic customer service and it seems to have gone by the wayside as more companies become corporate giants and lose the connection with their customers.  


This new client came to us through a former client, obviously a satisfied former client. We connected regularly with this former client on facebook, via email and by phone. 

We spend hours trying to learn and understand the best way to connect using social media and the internet.  We tweet on twitter, post updates on facebook, link up on Linked In, blog on blogger all for the sake of connecting to our clients and prospective clients.

We try to keep a close and open connection with our Galleries (Artisans, Circle & Riverbend ) and other Representatives. Our open and sharing connection is truly enjoyed with our many artist friends. By helping out where we can we try to keep a community connection. We keep the family connection going by sharing shop space with Steve A. Walker and working Shawn A. Walker to the bone in his spare time, on top of regular family gatherings. Oh and we can't forget about our Pet Family connection (BTW Barney is now 7 months old and 110 lbs! He's a BIG puppy!)


 We all make connections throughout our lives and I truly believe these connections are what life is really ALL about.  Whether it is a connection with family, friends, customers, employees or a stranger in the parking lot the important thing is to make the connection!
  
A big thank you to Susan Britton Seyler for writing this recent article on Examiner.com 
Mesquite Heirloom Furniture by Lou Quallenberg - National designer furniture | Examiner.com Award winning Mesquite Artist Lou Quallenberg creates sculpted live edge furniture in a contemporary style that reflects the flavor of the west.