Summer, Social Media & the Texas Furniture Makers’ Show ®

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa

Well the summer heat is upon us and  while it does not compare to last year in intensity, it is never the less HOT!! 

As I write and prepare to post this we are celebrating our 17 years of marriage  and briefly escaping the heat, by floating in the Lazy River at the Hill Country Hyatt in San Antonio.  A little break before the next round of mesquite furniture projects take priority with their details, demands and deadlines. 

We are currently reworking the Lou Quallenberg Studios website and appreciate any input, suggestions and words of encouragement you feel like sharing.  Staying relevant in this wireless, web worked, world  is exhausting. 

We recently created these new mesquite media buttons to link to our social media sites  on the website and print on our marketing materials. Perhaps the first mesquite versions?!

facebook: Lou Quallenberg & Mesquite Furniture

Linkedin: Lou Quallenberg

YouTube: LouQart

twitter: quallenberg

 

rss feed Blogger Mesquite Musings

Blogger Blog Mesquite Musings

As we gear up for the busy Fall Winter season we have several projects filling the schedule. I apologize if we have dropped the ball connecting with you whether you are  a client, artist or friend. The demands of family are currently a huge priority. 

Due to my crazy health situation I am no longer working at Jamail's in Horseshoe Bay.  It is so frustrating when your body won't cooperate with your head and heart.....

Below is the Press Release for the 2012 Texas Furniture Makers Show® in Kerrville. if you are a furniture maker residing in Texas you can find the Call for Entries and application on their website here.  We encourage you to  enter, the more the merrier.  

We enjoy participating in the Texas Furniture Makers Show each year and are always blown away by the talent that fills the Galleries at the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center with beautiful furniture pieces. 

Last year Lou was so busy he did not have time to make a new piece for the show. We hope that will not be the case again this year but he needs to get cracking because the clock is certainly ticking.....

2012 Texas Furniture Makers’ Show®

The thirteenth annual Texas Furniture Makers’ Show® takes place November 8 through December 8, 2012 at Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, 228 Earl Garrett Street, Downtown Kerrville, Texas. This juried exhibition is a statewide competition featuring handcrafted pieces by the best custom furniture makers in Texas and is co-sponsored by Woodcraft®, a national retail chain of specialty woodworking tools and equipment located in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth.

The purpose of the Show® is to present the work of Texas furniture makers to the public in a formal gallery atmosphere, to improve the quality and skill of Texas furniture making by formal consultation and by example, and to bring national attention to the one-of-a-kind handmade works of art created by Texas furniture makers.

On display will be a myriad of tables, chairs, benches, cabinets and more, many crafted in multiple, complimenting woods and accessorized with other materials, reflecting styles as diverse as Shaker, 19^th Century German, modern cedar log, and Federal.

The Presentation and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 17^th from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. This year’s judges are:

Philip C. Lowe is an award winning furniture maker, author, and founder of The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, inter-nationally known for its dedication to excellence in the art of classical woodworking techniques applied to the art of furniture design and construction. In 2005, Phil received the Cartouche Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Society of American Period Furniture Makers and in 2010 he was granted the 2010 Bulfinch Award for Artisanship presented by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America. Philip will also present our Seminar on Saturday, November 17^th entitled “Life Works of Philip Lowe and The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts”.

Gordon McDougal is the owner of McDougal Gallery of Fine Woodworking in San Antonio. Gordon completed a one-year apprenticeship with Jeff Green of Bucks County, PA, and attended the Marc Adams School of Woodworking where he earned a Masters Level Certificate in Woodworking.

Randy Johnson is the Editor in Chief for American Woodworker and Woodwork magazines in Eagan, MN. Randy studied art and industrial arts education at the U. of Wisconsin-River Falls and later received a Master’s degree in Industrial Technology Education from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, with an emphasis in furniture construction and design. Prior to joining the media world, Randy owned a custom furniture business specializing in the designing and building of custom furniture.

Kerr Arts and Cultural Center is open Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information or to obtain an Entry form call  830-895-2911  or  visit  www.texasfurnituremakersshow.com.

Lessons of a Lectern

Lou Quallenberg peeks through the crack in the Mesquite Lectern

Each new  project usually brings with it a set of lessons and insight into an artist's ability. We always find that each new project helps stretch and grow us in both art and in spirit.  The clients for this project: The Mesquite Lectern, have played a distinct role in stretching Lou Quallenberg artistically as well as spiritually and for that we are so very thankful.

The Lectern was part of the original order for the Chapel with the Dancing Trees and Benches/Pews. Since there was no specific time frame or deadline for this project Lou was able to develop the piece while working on other projects. This gave him a chance to play with the piece and in doing so, add a pop up shelf and small fold down reading light.

Lou stands next to the face of the lectern to establish size for the client progress report.

The project began with a unique slab from the same tree that the Dancing Trees were cut from. Lou wanted to save the shape of his unique slabbed piece of mesquite but also make it "Dance" alongside the Dancing Trees. 

Sketch of Mesquite Lectern

Lou's work almost always begins with a sketch. He usually has an idea of which mesquite slab he will be working with. That helps to develop the sketch which then gives the client a visual confirmation that he is moving in the right direction. 

The YouTube video below shows Lou Quallenberg & Shawn Walker as they begin to carve the Mesquite Lectern with a chainsaw.

Lectern begins to take shape

Progress report photos for the client.

Lou Quallenberg's Signature Mesquite Bow Tie

Progress reports  and photos are regularly emailed to clients to keep them up to date on their special piece. This allows the client to help direct the design decisions that need to be made and gives them the feeling of participation as well as anticipation.


















Lou Quallenberg's Signature Bow Tie  on the Lectern makes a  symbolic cross shape and holds the large crack in place.  We have several clients that request the Bow Tie even if it is not required structurally to hold their commissioned piece together. They like Lou's  Bow Tie purely as a design element. The  Bow Tie  on the Mesquite Lectern was also sculpted to add dimension and catch the light . This required an extra thick, BIG Bow Tie in order to to have room to sculpt it.

Lou with Lectern in the shop for @LAST Art Tour before the finish. 

Photo by John Hallowell - Highland Lakes Weekly

The Mesquite Lectern was in the shop for quite a while as Lou worked on other projects it even made an appearance, showing off its basic shape at the @LAST Llano ART Studio Tour.     



The Mesquite Lectern was professionally photographed by Lou before she was taken on delivery to her new home in the chapel alongside the Dancing Trees.  

Mesquite Lectern by Lou Quallenberg

Lou Quallenberg's Mesquite Lectern

Shelf DOWN Light UP

Shelf UP Light DOWN

Light from front in DOWN position.

Light side view in DOWN position.

Lou Quallenberg with his Mesquite Lectern

Many Lessons were learned as Lou Quallenberg stretched creatively and spiritually to create the Mesquite Lectern.

DELIVERY DAY

Arriving at the Chapel in the scenic Texas Hill Country

Entering the Chapel

Making its way into the Chapel towards the Dancing Trees

Mesquite Lectern in its rightful place alongside the Dancing Trees

The Dancing Trees and Benches admire their new friend the Lectern.

 A final touch goodbye

A Moving May

May found us moving and on the move....

We helped as all month long my brother moved out of our childhood home in Austin to be closer to us in Llano and begin his internship, apprenticeship and hopefully at some point partnership at Lou Quallenberg Studios making Mesquite Furniture.  

The two sister mesquite coffee tables in the UK are making their journey back to us as The Mesquite Company comes to terms with family and eldercare in Texas, making it difficult to live and run / manage a business in the UK.  We can't hold anything against them as we continue to pass through this interesting phase in our lives as well. We are all trying to manage work and family and we certainly understand the need to be in the same country as that all unfolds.  Many thanks to Joe and Amie Prest for their great intentions and effort to promote Mesquite in Europe.

Jamail's of Horseshoe Bay finally got opened in May and I survived Grand Opening followed quickly by Mother's Day!  The long hours and concrete floors are doing a number on my health so I will be cutting back quite a bit to recover.

Miiller's Llano Smokehouse had a long scheduled photo shoot of their new items for their catalog and website so we managed to squeeze that into May as well.  The Jalapeno Turkey is AMAZING!!! If you have not had it you need to.  The Turkey Jerky is better than the beef Jerky in my opinion. 

Maybe next month we will have a bit more about mesquite furniture making......

The "Susan" Mesquite Table: A "Birth" Day

Birthday Ride to Enchanted Rock

April is our birthday month here at Lou Quallenberg Studios.  Mine arrives first on the seventh followed a week later with Lou's on the fourteenth.  Two Aries rams butting heads until one of us decides to be the lamb. We celebrated mine  this year with a beautiful, bluebonnet filled ride to Enchanted Rock on the Harley.  Lou spent his in the shop where he is truly happiest working with his mesquite. I tried to get him out but he said it was his birthday and he could do what he wanted.

April is also the "birth"day for the "Susan" Table.  She was all finished up and delivered on Sunday the 29th. I know Lou felt a few pangs as he let her go.  She went to a very good home and we know she will be well loved for a few generations at the very least.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Susan Table!!

Here is her story:

"Susan" Table Mesquite  Slab Top

We first met with the clients knowing that they wanted a mesquite table that would go in an entry way under a painting.  Lou had carefully selected several mesquite slabs for them to choose from.  When  she saw the slab that would become her table our client knew it was the only one for her.

Conception: Lou created a sketch based on the mesquite slab that was chosen and the process began.

Conception: Lou Quallenberg's sketch of the "Susan" Table

Once the sketch was approved the slab and it's flitch (the rest of the slabs from the tree) was taken to Brandon Berdoll in Cedar Creek. Where they were placed in his kiln for drying.  Brandon has kiln drying of mesquite down to a science and he provided us with regular moisture content readings throughout the entire process.  The mesquite was in the kiln for a good eleven weeks.

Mesquite slabs stacked and ready for the kiln

The Kiln

Final moisture content reading on mesquite slabs dried in the kiln

Once the slab and its sisters were all dried throughout to a 7.5% moisture content it was brought back to Llano to begin the construction process.

Removing the mesquite bark

After the basic shape was defined and the outer edges were cleaned up the base curve was copied and calculated to create the laminated curve that is a signature to Lou Quallenberg's mesquite work.

Calculating the curve for the table base

Once the curve is designed the jig to capture that curve is created and carefully crafted.

The jig that creates the matching curve

Lou Quallenberg in the shop with his curve creating jig

The Laminated Mesquite Base Curve and Leg Pattern

The "Susan" Table got a new set of legs.  Lou gave the leg design a bit more curve because he is always trying to improve the design and look of his mesquite furniture pieces.

Mesquite Table Clamped and Ready for Final Design Tweaking

A First Glimpse at How the Mesquite Table Will Look

The Mesquite Base Curves Finally Together

Curved Mesquite Base Ready for the Finish

Lou's finish is a two week process of lovingly hand sanding the tung oil based finish into every nook and cranny on the piece.

Applying the Finish to the Mesquite Slab Top

 He then rubs the piece with a cream wax to seal it all in.  It is so satiny smooth to the touch.

First Coat of Finish on the Mesquite Base

Mesquite Slab Top With the First Coat of  Tung Oil Based Finish

Curved Mesquite Base All Finished

When he is finished with his finish each piece calls out for you to touch it. We encourage the touching an rubbing of a piece.  Even the underside of his mesquite furniture pieces are as finished off as the top.

The "Susan" Mesquite Table Ready for Her Closeup and More

Photography is the next step of the process.  Lou photographs each piece utilizing his skills and experience in commercial photography. The "Susan" was photographed in Tom Suarez's Studio because she was too large to set up properly in the shop.  Lou's work is difficult to capture photographically because of all the curves and curves and curves.....

Lou Quallenberg's "Susan" Table in Mesquite 116"L x 24"W x 31"H

After her photos the "Susan" Table was ready for delivery. Once a piece is "delivered" to the client the process comes to an end  for us and the delivery date becomes each pieces "Birthday" in our catalog of Mesquite Furniture pieces. Where each piece is photographed and the original client/buyers name and location is recorded to help track the provenance of the individual pieces.

Check out Jamail's in Horeshoe Bay, Texas

So going along with the birthday theme, I mentioned last month that I have stepped back into the world of work and my first love: flowers. The birthing or start up of a grocery store is such an amazing thing to be a part of.  It is very much like the birth of a baby with a great deal of pain at the end,  along with the reward of shiny new entity.  I have been involved in several store start ups with HEB's Central Market being the biggest and most difficult. It is challenging, frustrating work, that is at times very exciting and ultimately rewarding. I have seen it make grown men cry many times over.

The Jamail Family has handled this overwhelming task with such grace and efficiency, producing a wonderful gem of a store in the heart of the Hill Country.  I hope the floral department that I create for them can hold up to their high standards in quality and value.  I can't wait to finally get my hands on some of these flowers I have been carefully sourcing and ordering. Because that is when the real fun begins.