Sharing, September & Shows

September's shadows 

lean long and hard.

The feel of Fall begins it's bow.

The colors and the show begin,

as winter starts her harsh descent. 

- CW Quallenberg

Lou Quallenberg sharing his knowledge at Art Tour Demo

September always seems to be a stressful month of trying to make up for the slower pace of a heat filled August or sizzling summer (as the case may be.) Show pieces and items are rushed as the arrival of Fall signals  "Show Time" at Lou Quallenberg Studios.  Lou tries to create a new piece each year for the Texas Furniture Makers Show in an effort to support this showcase of incredible talent. We enjoy visiting with the other artists and Furniture Makers at this and other shows that we attend. The sharing of information and the energy exchange that comes from being in a room filled with such amazing artistic talent is exhilarating! 

In 2008 we met an amazing artistic couple at the Western Design Conference in Jackson Hole. Tim Carney of Timothy's Fine Woodworking and Maureen Shaunnessey of  Brown Bird Studio.  Maureen is the one that taught me how easy it is to blog and inspired me to start the Mesquite Musings journey.  The have a great group of woodworkers in Montana  -  The Helena Woodworkers Guild

Check out their Blog: Sawdust & Shavings  It is on that blog that we discovered this great video about sharing skills and passing info along to the next generation.

I love this quote that they pulled from the Video:

"If you don’t hand it on, all that’s not given is lost. So you must — if you get good at something — show other people how to do this."

— Lida Cardozo Kindersley, letter carver

This is exactly what we believe. We are always sharing techniques, sources, information and just about anything else you can think of! Lou feels that if someone is copying his ideas it is a compliment and not a theft like some may see it as. He knows in his heart of hearts that he will always have a new idea or design in his head and nobody can take that from him.



What knowledge skill or craft are you passing along to the future? Do you share it? If not why not?

Lou Quallenberg's Upcoming Shows:

14TH ANNUAL TEXAS FURNITURE MAKERS SHOW

http://www.texasfurnituremakersshow.org/

October 31st-November 30th 2013

Kerr Arts & Cultural Center

WESTERN TRAPPINGS ON THE LLANO

https://www.facebook.com/WesternTrappingsOnTheLlano

October 18th, 2013 - January 4th, 2014

Llano County Historical Museum

A few shows that we wish we had the time for but just could not break away for this year :

The Texas Mesquite Art Festival        The Western Design Conference         Cody High Style

          October 11 - 13, 2013                       September 5-7, 2013              September 18-22, 2013

          Fredericksburg, Texas                    Jackson Hole, Wyoming                Cody, Wyoming

While Lou Quallenberg Studios did not make the final round in the Martha Stewart American Made Awards we are currently in the second round of voting in the Intuit Small Business Big Game Contest. We appreciate your support! You can use this link below to vote for us and who knows maybe Lou will win a Commercial during the Super Bowl!

 

 PLEASE

Dancing Trees: A mesquite art project in the Texas Hill Country

Last month I mentioned the fact that we had spent the last thirty days looking at hundred dollar bills and images of money in order to paint our entry in the Trail of Deer Community Art Project. (Bidding on the Bucks has now started check it out here: Llano's Trail of the Deer) I said that it had brought us good fortune but I failed to mention that we had been contacted by what we expect will be one of our largest clients/projects to date! So YES! Working on Big Bucks brought in some big bucks!!

Our new baby Barney

And its a good thing because the newest addition to our household is a 97 lb, six month old, English Mastiff puppy we fondly call Barney. He is on track to eat us out of house and home!! I am afraid he does not know his real size and this problem is only going to get worse as he grows into his 200 lb potential.

He has brought the puppy bounce into our lives and his bark reminds us to stop, take a break and play.  We also have our hands full with housebreaking and socializing- every rug in the house has been out on the fence this past week.

While his addition to our life is a bit stressful we both have fallen in love and can't imagine a life without him. Welcome Barney!!!

Large Mesquite Slabs

This NEW  PROJECT is one that Lou can really sink his artistic teeth into.  It is a for private chapel in the Texas Hill Country and includes a huge mesquite slabbed screen to match the client designed, custom, curved window/wall, mesquite benches and lectern.  Lou had been looking for some direction on his artistic path. I feel sure this project came into being to provide that direction for his creativity as well as his soul.

Lou Quallenberg with Mesquite Slab

The Mesquite slabs are pieces that Lou has been saving for "special" projects.  They have been in the shop air drying for a few years,  after their initial time kiln drying.   The center slab he will use in this design is another sister slab to both Jackson and Jackson Sister which were both made into coffee tables and debuted together at the Western Design Conference in 2008.  Jackson Sister also won the Best Texas Style Furniture Award at the Texas Furniture Makers Show® in Kerrville in 2008.  So these Mesquite slabs have a great family tree!

Sketch Mesquite Screen

It almost always starts with a sketch.  Lou Quallenberg has sketches and doodles all over his many work areas. They provide ideas as well as inspiration.  When he begins a project he usually provides a sketch to the client just to be sure they are all on the same page. Most of his work ends up looking very much like the sketch. Somehow he seems to know in advance the many directions the pieces and wood will take him.

The size and scope of this project caused him to really want an accurate visualization, both for himself and the client. The actual slabs are very heavy and require extra hands to move them around. Even though the project is on a tight deadline, Lou really felt it called for a scale model mock up. 

In order to do that we took photos of each slab chosen for the project. A 12 inch tape was placed on the slab so that all pieces could be accurately re-sized and scaled down. He then placed the photos onto small pieces of mesquite and cut each one out.  He drew on some of the smaller cracks and holes in pencil. We ended up with what is much like a puzzle. He played around with the mini slabs until he found the right balance.

Model with seven Mesquite Slabs

Model with five Mesquite Slabs

As you can see in the photos, the design was changed from the original five slabs of mesquite to seven slabs of mesquite. This is why taking the time to make a scale model version for your client can really pay off.  Lou was very happy with the design at five slabs but the client chose to add two more slabs and it really did make a difference visually.

In order to finish this new piece before the approaching October Deadline, we needed to temporarily expand the workspace. Lou found what he thought was a great deal on an outdoor Garage/Canopy at Sam's Wholesale. We had hoped the canopy would be multi-purpose and serve not only as temporary workspace but also as a possible Show Booth at the Texas Mesquite Art Festival in Fredericksburg. We have been considering doing this show even though it is an outdoor show.

The canopy is now installed and is definitely serving its purpose as 200 square feet of extra work space, but the set up and installation challenges will probably keep us from using it as a booth. Maybe it can become my greenhouse? The lesson we learned from this whole canopy  experience is that Sam's does not always have the best price.  We found the exact same canopy (according to the manufacturer King Canopy-see emails below) at Walmart for $199 and Sam's has it priced $219.74.  So buyer beware always do your price checks before purchasing.

From: "Will Cowan"
Date: July 28, 2010 2:32:45 PM CDT
To:
Subject: RE: [Contact Us] Sams & Walmart Canopies

Hi Lou,

I apologize for the delay in getting back to you, we are running a backlog
on emails about 3-4 days long and are trying to catch up.

Yes, those are the same canopy. It is the BJ2PC (our model #). I am not sure
why Wal-Mart and Sam's have different prices, it might be for shipping
purposes that Sam's is $20 more, but I don't set their prices. Regardless,
they are still cheaper than what I could sell you them for.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Thank you,
King Canopy Customer Service

-----Original Message-----
From: info@kingcanopy.com [mailto:info@kingcanopy.com] On Behalf Of
info@LouQart.com
Sent: Monday, July 26, 2010 5:45 PM
To: info@kingcanopy.com
Subject: [Contact Us] Sams & Walmart Canopies

Lou Quallenberg sent a message using the contact form at
http://www.kingcanopy.com/contact.

These two Canopy's seem to be the same? Are they?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/King-Canopy-10-x-20-Universal-Enclosed-Canopy/1196 9438

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=131317&navAction=pus h

The canopy works well as extra outdoor space and the grinding has begun. Now cross your fingers that he will be able to get it done in time. I would prefer not to hear the call "All Hands on Deck!" I'm really not that good at sanding.

This project is one of the big reasons (a backlog on the schedule) we will be missing out on The Western Design Conference in Jackson Hole and Cody High Style (which Lou Quallenberg Studios was invited to for the first time) in Cody, Wyoming this year. We hope both Shows understand and will still consider us for their future shows. We enjoy our wonderful trips to Wyoming but it is a long haul.  It takes huge effort to get Lou out of the shop and away from the wood.

FYI
Lou Quallenberg refers to the Mesquite Slab Screen piece as "Dancing Trees" and by the time he is finished I think these seven little ladies will all be singing as well.

 ©

Spring has sprung (according to the mesquite trees)

As Spring finally springs into place and relieves us from the cold dreary nuisance of winter (Yes! It is official our mesquite tree has finally budded out-so spring has sprung here in Llano, Texas!) we are reminded once again that as Lou's birthday (April 14th) rolls around, TAXES ARE DUE! Yep that's right folks if you own your own business you gotta pay taxes. Okay, okay we know you pay taxes when you work for someone else, but they usually deduct it from your pay check and you also probably have a much simpler form to fill out - I did say probably.  So that heap of paperwork and pile of receipts and invoices that has been taking up space on the dining room table is going away. Yipee!! I will be glad to have the space back so I can fill it up with something else.

BTW did you know that Al Capone listed "Furniture Dealer" as his occupation on his business cards? Well known for his corruption and criminal activity as a Chicago gangster during prohibition (one of the most notorious criminals of the 20th Century) he was finally put in prison by the IRS for Tax Evasion of all things! So the moral of the story is pay your taxes. 

We are proud to announce our new partnership with Riverbend Fine Art Gallery in Marble Falls, Texas.  Marta Stafford spent an afternoon at the shop learning about Lou and his process of mesquite furniture making and we were so very impressed with her enthusiasm, knowledge and genuine warmth. We feel like it is a good fit and look forward to working with her and Lori both. We posted photos of the delivery on our Facebook account so be sure to check it out if you haven't already.  The Mesquite Cody table is sitting in front of "Gentle Spring" a painting by Milbe Benge and it almost looks like it is the river flowing out of the painting.  If you come to visit us be sure to plan to take a trip to Riverbend Fine Art Gallery as well. The drive is spectacular and currently splashed with bluebonnets and wildflowers. We feel so fortunate to live in the Texas Hill Country!

We were so honored to receive an official invitation to exhibit at Cody High Style this year.  We have heard such great things about this new show in Cody,Wyoming and have had success first in Cody, Wyoming and then in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at the Western Design Conference in year's past. The photos above are from the 2006, 2008 and 2009 Western Design Conferences and show entry pieces. This year due to family obligations and a focus on our current client base we will not be going up that way. We do hope that the folks at  Cody High Style will consider us again in the future.  It has been such a wonderful escape each year to head for the mountains and cooler weather, we also really enjoy meeting and visiting with all the extraordinary artists that gather at these shows.  The problem is it is a long haul (1,400 miles) from Texas to Wyoming and the time spent away from the shop can really start to add up. We are a one horse operation here which unfortunately makes it very difficult to take time away.  When Lou's birthday rolls around, he begins to realize that he will not have enough time in this life to make all the wild and crazy things he has stored up in his head.  Maybe it would help if Allison at the Western Design Conference and the Gang at Cody High Style would consider changing their application deadlines to March or May?

IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT VIDEO IT IS COMING SOON.  I PROMISE WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN OR GIVEN UP.