Making Big Bucks!!

I promise next month we will talk about Mesquite and Mesquite Furniture making. But for now it's all about making "BIG Bucks"......

Llano's Trail of the Deer herd was successfully unveiled Sunday, June 27th and Lou Quallenberg Studios contribution "Mr. Big Bucks" was finally, officially complete and off of our plate.  You would think it would be a relief to have it off the schedule but I think, just as any artistic endeavor, once completed there is a feeling of loss or "Oh no now what?"  They are our babies after all. Now we have our dining room back and our evenings are once again available for whatever or wherever the night leads us, but there is still that hole.

Our entry "Mr. Big Bucks" started out as a hundred dollar bill design, trying to play up the "Bucks" theme.  I also thought it would not hurt us to be staring at hundred dollar bills for the next 30 days. The power of visualization is an awesome power that I have seen in action many times in my life. Some skeptics may call it a coincidence that the phone started ringing and opportunities began pouring in but I hafta disagree.  I am SURE that working on this "free" community art project has been a rain maker for us. You should try it!  Get an image of money and work on a fun project with it for 30 days and see what happens. It could change your life!!

The first layer of money green was applied with the help of my sweet sister Heather Martin and my nephew Matthew Martin. We would and could have done it without them, but it would not have been half as much fun.  There was a great deal of surface to cover and  the help was greatly appreciated. Matthew also helped some with the metallic gold antlers and eyes.

After the base coat was completed we let it air dry over Memorial Day weekend - while we were at the lake.  We then moved him from the Lou Quallenberg Studios shop to the house so that I could work on him as I had the energy- sometimes late at night. 

We originally thought we would airbrush the design but had to revert back to hand painting when Lou could not get the paints to work with the airbrush.  With only thirty days total to complete the project and the air brush idea out, we decided to go "old school".  Lou painted Harley choppers in the 70's so we fell back on his taping skills.  Let me just say Lou Quallenberg is amazing with tape!   There were multiple layers of tape to get all the lines in their proper places. Taping is an art in and of itself. The tape was great for all the lines but we could not really tape Ben Franklin off.

While at the lake my brother Shawn Walker cut a stencil of Ben Franklin using an enlarged version of an image of a hundred dollar bill that I created on the computer. Unfortunately  since we were at the lake for Memorial Day weekend we did not realize that the large size and sculpted curves in the deer form would not work well together.  So onto Plan B or is that C now? We decided to reduce the size of the bill.  This meant much more work for less coverage and perhaps less bang for our "buck"?  

So I  used the stencil Shawn made to make a painted print on paper, which I scanned into the computer and re sized to create smaller stencils.  The first large stencil was cut out of contact paper, the smaller stencils were cut out of vellum because it was easier for me to cut them out with the x-acto knife.  More stencils were required because the vellum was less durable than the contact paper and we had reduced the size of the bill meaning more Ben's were required.

 We began to run out of time and energy so the 100's were added to the four corners of the bills.  At this point we decided the look was close enough to get the point across and we moved on to adding dollar signs using stencils of different sizes. Each dollar sign was drawn with pencil and then hand painted.   The process was time consuming and ran us late into the night.  I decided to pull out the glow-in-the-dark paint and painted his ears and spots on the grass.  So YES! He does glow in the dark. 

Sister Heather came to the rescue Saturday along with my teenage niece Taylor Martin.  Shawn also came in from Austin to lend a helping hand.  They all kept working on hand painting the dollar signs, while I began the Pyramid under the right eye.  Lou came in behind me taping the bricks and painting them in. We both worked on the eyelashes or glow around the eye.  

It was Sunday morning early on Father's Day and "Mr. Big Bucks" was due at T Paint and Body for his urethane gloss coat on Monday. We both  looked at each other and decided he was DONE.  We spent the day with my Dad, away from the many shades of green paint and our totally wrecked dining room/paint studio.

"Mr. Big Bucks" is currently grazing in front of Llano National Bank on Ford Street in Llano for the next month or so.  "Mr. Big Bucks" and the rest of the herd are available for purchase through an online, auction-style bidding process that ends February 2011. For details check with Robin  Chiesa 325/247-4963 at Circle on the square Art Gallery in Llano. ALL of the money goes to charity and the continuation of the Trail of the Deer Community Art Project.   If "Mr. Big Bucks" brings his owner/purchaser as much good fortune as he has brought us then he is really worth his weight in gold!!!

Mesquite takes a back seat

Just for now mesquite is taking a back seat on the blog. Our life right now is pretty busy with the Llano Trail of the Deer Community Art Project.  Seven, life sized white tailed deer sculptures made their way to Llano on May 25th.  The project is similar to the The Trail of the Painted Ponies, Cow Parade, Big Boots, and Guitar Town in Austin.

The deer are now living with their selected  artists who are hopefully working hard at making them each works of art.
 
Artists include:

Russell Baros   "Daddy WAR Bucks" 

Ira Kennedy  "Star Buck"

Janet Mason   "Tex"

Lou Quallenberg & Cheryl Quallenberg "Mr. Big"

Gin Schwope   "TBA" 

Llano Art Guild  "TBA"

Artist TBA   "Buck Naked"

Lou Quallenberg Studios has committed to creating one of these babies in a collaborative partnership of Quallenberg & Quallenberg.  It will work fine as long as Lou realizes I am the boss - or maybe just bossy (I'm pretty sure he knows that already though.)

We will not be using mesquite for this project, but who knows maybe next year we will try out a new way to use mesquite on the ever evolving Trail of the Deer Community Art Project.   The painted deer herd will be making their debut the last weekend of June.  Then you can expect to see them at most of the events in Llano or Hunt them down using the online map.  One deer, we are calling him "Buck Naked", has been left unpainted.  He may show up at local events and be set up to fire paint balls at for a few "Bucks".   He will eventually be used as a special commissioned art piece.

We plan to have a Trail of the Deer Coloring Contest for the Schools (Elementary, Jr. High, and High School) in the Fall. We are also looking in to getting table top size deer so more folks can make their own deer.  It is all about getting people interested in ART (and attracting tourists to Llano, Texas.) But all of this takes "Bucks" so please consider helping out with a Donation or Sponsorship.

These wonderful folks have already helped get this project of the ground. 

Colonel Crow's Trading Post

The Dabbs Hotel
Enchanted Rocks& Jewelry
Executive Growth Sam Jones
Frosty Miller Ranch Realty
Llano Economic Development Corporation 
Milagro Massage
 Nailhead Spur Company  
One Trick Pony/ Tres Rios Silver 
Morrison & Mary Smith 

The "Dressed" Deer will all be auctioned off  in the spring and all the "Bucks" raised will go to create an art scholarship, local charity and to help kick start next years "Trail of the Deer Community Art Project."  (We are hoping for 12 Deer  next year!!!)

None of this would have happened if  Robin Chiesa had not put it all on the line and gone for it. She is an amazing woman, full of enough energy to do the work of a committee. Thank you Robin!!

You can read more about our Community Art Project here in the Llano County Journal or here in the Llano News.

Well as many of you know our sweet Louie did not recover last month so we have been grieving the loss of him from our lives. Louie spent much of his time with Lou at the shop so it has been much harder on him losing his buddy. We were not blessed with children so our furry family members help to fill that spot for us. To have that spot emptied in an already fairly quiet home has been very hard on both of us.  The house is quieter now, VERY quiet.  I wrote this one night several months ago when I could not sleep due to the sound effects, in stereo, from Lou and Louie.

I sleep in a room with two large beasts
my ears suffering a ravenous feast.

A high pitch here
A low rumble there
Strange noises that fill the air.

I sleep in a room with two large beasts
hoping the noise will NEVER cease. 

CW Quallenberg 2010

We really miss those sounds and all the sleepless nights it caused. (Watch the video below for a sample)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zgf2wieHqE




Why Dogue de bordeaux / French Mastiffs? We have been asked why we stick with a breed that has an average lifespan of 5.29 years.  It is a good question especially since we usually miss out on the sweet puppy stage.  Maybe it is that wrinkled scrunchy face, the gentle slobbery nuzzles, the largest head in dogdom, the laid back attitude mixed with a fierce protective mode that most strangers would not challenge, or memories of  the movie Turner & Hooch.   More than likely it is in memory of the two sweet souls we have already rescued and loved and cannot imagine not having had in our lives. When we are ready we will open our hearts and home to another one of these sweet big headed creatures. Until then we mourn the loss and miss the wiggle. We just are not ready yet......

Reflections of Spring in the Texas Hill Country

This has been an amazing year for Texas Bluebonnets and Wildflowers especially here in the Texas Hill Country! They have been bursting over the edges of the roadsides and are taller than I can ever in my forty plus years remember. (We tried to celebrate my 44 and his 54 years this month, but were so worried over our sweet Louie who we nearly lost to a serious kidney problem. He has dropped alot of weight but we think he is out of the woods now.)

This year we have taken a few moments here and there to stop and smell the bluebonnets. Yes, they do actually have a scent! When they are in mass abundance they give off a light, sweet fragrance that reminds me of my childhood,  Hill Country Spring and winding Texas back roads. The smell of  Texas Bluebonnets and Texas Mountain Laurel are both such delicate fragrances that require long term memory storage because they happen only briefly once a year and most years are barely noticeable to the undiscerning, unconscious nose.

Capturing the oceans, lakes and ribbons of blue flowers on film (or pixels) is not an easy task although many do attempt it.  Lou's Bluebonnet in a Mesquite Frame (shown here) is popular with the many Wildflower hunters.

This year the tourists, photographers both professional and amateur, and spring breakers descended on the Texas Hill Country like a swarm of bees.  Don't get me wrong we appreciate the boost to the economy, I just wonder if we should stop them at the county line with a list of rules or warnings.

Something like:   

• No matter how great the photo-op do not stop and/or park in the middle of a highway.

• If the speed limit is 70 mph then driving 35 mph is hazardous to your health.

• Remember that Bluebonnet/Wildflower Season is the same as Rattlesnake Season, look and listen before you step.

• Fire ants live under Bluebonnets/Wildflowers look before plopping your baby or child in that patch of pretty flowers.

• Do you really need a sign to tell you that you are trespassing?

The Ross Bedside-End Table was picked up this month.  They had a busy spring schedule including a trip to Santa Fe that kept them from picking it up sooner. This sweet little table was designed to fit a very small space between the bed and wall with enough room to have a small drawer.  It has Lou's signature, floating, sculpted, live edge top and shelf, and curved legs. The deer antler drawer pull matches their other piece.

We know the clients were happy to add it to their collection. The weekend they picked it up they caught the tail end of the Bluebonnets and managed to catch the State Championship Goat Cook-off in Golthwaite. We had such a nice visit at the shop, then lunch at the Acme Cafe and a quick look at Circle on the square Gallery.

Speaking of Circle on the square we are proud to announce that we were chosen as one of six artists to participate in Llano's Trail of the Deer Community Art Project.  This will be a collaborative, partnership effort on both our parts. We will be painting one of the life sized White Tailed Deer sculptures scheduled to arrive in Llano, Texas the week of May17th. The artists will have 30 days to complete their Deer.  The Painted Deer will be placed around town in various revolving locations, attending local parades and events and then auctioned off at the end of the project.  We are excited and honored to be a part of this Community Art Project that promotes both the Arts and Tourism in the Texas Hill Country. 

Lou has designed and created several new mesquite mirrors  with turquoise inlay which can be seen and purchased at one of our gallery representatives:

Artisans at Rocky Hill in Fredericksburg

Circle on the square in Llano

Riverbend Fine Art in Marble Falls

or custom ordered through one of the Gallery's and/or directly through the website.  We do require that you let us know how you found out about us so that we can compensate our representatives properly.  They work hard to get the word out about Lou's mesquite furniture and art and we want to be sure they are taken care of.

Lou really likes to design and create mirrors and I wonder if it might have something to do with the fact that mirrors offer the viewer a reflection.  I think sometimes we see our physical selves as the image reflected back in a mirror, sometimes we see our souls in the image reflected back, and sometimes if we are lucky and look deeply we see the connection to others in ourselves reflected back.

Perhaps making mesquite mirrors is Lou's way of spreading light?

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
Edith Wharton

To me he is both candle and mirror.....

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. 

It's all about CURVES baby

In case you had not noticed, Lou Quallenberg’s work is all based on curves. The natural curves found in the mesquite wood, the curves of the female body form that inspire him and the curves and angles found in the 1959 Cadillac Coupe De Ville that continues to influence his work. Jim Brandvik an artist friend, AKA “The Original Horseshoe Engraver” pointed out that Lou had used the line of beauty on his Mesquite Partners Desk.  Upon further inspection we found the “Line of Beauty” in almost every single curve on that desk. It was hiding in plain sight in Lou’s signature bow tie, where he uses it in both the length and width of that design. If you take the time to look you will find it there hidden in most of his pieces.  This line of beauty knowledge must have sunk into his unconscious mind because it took Jim’s artist eye to spot it and point it out before we even realized that Lou was using it.  He may have learned it many years ago in an art class or from a book on art.  The “Line of Beauty”  is also known as Hogarth’s curve  or a “lazy S” design.  The Hogarth curve is one of the more common designs taught in floral design, which in case you did not know is a part of my educational background. The Central Market/ (for HEB)  Floral Department being one of my favorite little creations.

I cannot let the February posting of this blog go without mention of my usual but unusual Valentine’s Day gifts from Lou (yeah it’s an enigma - just like him.) It is ALWAYS some type of heart and with his plunge into custom mesquite furniture making, my most recent hearts have been crafted from mesquite. Lou’s hearts are not the standard, symmetrical, valentine style heart’s that we all learned to draw in elementary school.  His hearts have curves (of course.)  It is always a surprise and I never know what to expect.  I have received small palm sized smooth hearts, a standing heart with copper flames, and this year the heart was copper embedded inside of a large mesquite hinged card, complete with it’s own thin mesquite envelope/sleeve!

We have recently joined in partnership with a new Gallery that is set to open in Llano, Texas the first few weeks in March.  The gallery “Circle on the square” is owned and operated by the very lovely and talented Robin Chiesa. We wish her tons of success!! The Gallery Logo and website (still under construction) were both conceptualized, developed and created by yours truly - Lou Quallenberg Studios! We still do logos, brochures and branding as well as commercial Photography. Lou’s Mesquite Furniture and Photography will be featured at the Gallery along with artwork by the following Hill Country artist’s: Russell Baros, Danielle Carmichael, Robin Chiesa, Jane Lynch, and Sheri Zoch.

A big THANK YOU goes out to everyone that watched the YouTube first video we created last month. As of this posting it has been watched 250 times (with 249 of those being me- just kidding!) Thank you for forwarding it to your friends, family and other folks you thought might have interest. Please do not hold it against us that Video #2 is not quite ready for viewing. What can I say? February is a short month and 2-3 days to a procrastinator is a huge amount of time. On top of that we are perfectionists and well hey it’s just not perfect yet!! We will post it when it is ready, even if  it’s not perfect. I know you can't wait but please bear with us and stay tuned!!

Taking a Break & Making Mesquite Video #1 (Hey that was FUN!!)

This year is off to a truly wonderful start. We delivered the Mesquite Media Chest up to the Dallas area ourselves. It was a great break from the shop and a wonderful adventure into the big city.  Trust me anything is BIG when you live in Llano, Texas!  On our way both up and back we had to stop in Hico at the Koffee Kup first for their famous Burger and then of course the Pie!!! We were surprised to find our sweet friend Jasmine, who is originally from Llano, waitressing there. We were relieved that our clients were so happy with their new piece. They wined and dined us, convinced us to stay an extra night, gave us museum passes and then went and ordered another piece!!

It's been a long time, if ever we had the luxury of going to three wonderful museums in the same day. If you get a chance we recommend them all: The Modern Art Museum of Ft Worth,  Kimbell Art Museum and Amon Carter Museum. We got to see Michelangelo's first painting at The Kimbell. He did it when he was twelve or thirteen and it was a true masterpiece!! If that had been the only piece we saw it would have been worth it. We were so fortunate to also see several of our favorites: Van Gogh, Monet, Pissarro, Picasso, Georgia O'Keeffe and even a few early Jackson Pollock pieces. Before we left Llano I had secretly hoped to make the Cowgirl Hall of Fame but the Ft. Worth Livestock Show was going on making that area a bit more crazy than usual. Honestly we just did not have the time to fit it in.  Maybe next time?

Well we did it!! We actually produced and uploaded our first instructional video. Check it out on youTube
It was a learning curve and while it is certainly not perfect we can proudly say "WE DID IT!" It was fun and we hope you will take a look, leave comments, rate it and share it with your friends and/or anyone you think might like it. Be sure you catch the out takes at the end. We are open to any ideas and suggestions you might have for future videos.

Our upcoming videos will contain information like: 

How we make our Laminated Curves

How we create our Signature Butterfly/ Bow Tie

How we Slice our Wood

Loading the Kiln and the Importance of using Dry Wood.

How we Inlay Turquoise 

and many more (well at least 12 total if we do one a month!)

Mesquite Media Chest and a Happy New Year!

Wow! The end of the month and end of the year sure came quick! Where does all that time go? We had a really nice Christmas with Family and that is really what it should be all about.

Looking back on it we have had an interesting year. We have added several more talented artists into our friends and family fold, a few of which have been hard hit by the economic situation in this country. We began the year thinking the Economy had not really affected us but as we end the year we are seeing and feeling a few of the effects. Our plans are to weather the storm and stay firm in our belief that when you do what you love the money will come.  I honestly don't know what else we could or would be able to do.

Lou is finishing up the Ross Mesquite Media Chest a commissioned piece that will make it's way to a home in Dallas in the next few weeks.  It is now in the final finishing stage so I don't have any beauty shots of her yet but I will show some photos of the stages and progress. The photos are the type of photos that we share with our clients via email to update them on the progress of their piece.

The piece was designed similar to the Mesquite Night Stands from the Sanders Mesquite Bedroom Set. It is a design that is not based on the curves that are so much a part of Lou's other designs, but it does have the very sculptural live edge and a distinct Lou Quallenberg look.

Speaking of curves our nephew Matthew has found another use for some of Lou's laminated curves. He has found that they make great ramps and tracks for his Matchbox cars.

The client's requested a Signature Bow Tie even though the top did not require one.  They may even end up buying a new TV just to be sure it is visible!!

They also wanted the antler drawer pulls like the ones on the Mesquite Partners Desk.

We think they will be very happy with the final product a Mesquite Media Chest that was designed specifically for them.

Now as for New Years Resolutions I won't bore you with the usual losing weight, making better choices for food and clearing out the clutter. But we will make a resolution to try to include an instructional style video with each blog post next year. That will mean 12 clips on things like turquoise inlay, laminated curves and (well I guess) 10 other similar topics. We will do our best to make that happen. (Hey we actually kept our resolution to do a Blog post every month so it could actually happen.)

From our Home and Shop at Lou Quallenberg Studios to yours we wish you all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!!!  Thank you for reading our blog.

Counting our Blessings and Giving Thanks

As we come off of a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday spent with family we wanted to reflect on the many things we are thankful for not only during the holidays but every day. So here we go in no particular order:

Louie our sweet rescue boy from Dogue De Bordeaux Society Rescue  . He was rescued in St. Louis and given the name Louie. (Yeah it was confusing at first but Lou is Lou and Louie is Louie.) Thanks to the Rescue group we only had to go to Oklahoma City to pick him up. That all happened 5 years ago this past October. Can't believe our boy will be six on January 1st!!! He got off to a rough start because he was so small and he had such HUGE paws to fill. Jake was our FIRST. First Dog as a couple, First French Mastiff/ Dogue De Bordeaux, First Rescue. Louie could never fill such huge paws with those tiny feet so he just made new paw prints all over our hearts.


I guess if we are talking about our fur family we can't forget our kitty babes. They are all ferals born under the porch. Lucia, Lily, Sophie and Leonardo. Leonardo lost his sister London right before the Western Design Conference this year. We managed to semi socialize them when they were little babies. They were inseparable and since she is gone he has been coming inside every night. He even sits on our laps sleeping in the evenings. You know life is good if you have a cat purring on your lap and a dog snoring on your bed.

You know life is good if you have a cat purring on your lap and a dog snoring on your bed. -CWQuallenberg2009

MeMaw and PaPaw own the home where we chose to build the shop. This arrangement gives PaPaw a chance to be a part of the design and building process as mentor and red pencil grade giver. (Teachers never die they just continue grading in the classrooms in the sky.) It also gives Lou company throughout the day. Working in the shop can be such a lonely existence. It is a good thing all the way around.

Our nephew Matthew and niece Taylor are our miniature apprentices that prefer to work on their own projects until they lose interest. Needless to say we have lots of started projects and few finished projects. But hey ya never know, one day when they grow up, they may find they love making furniture in the shop and enjoy being covered in sawdust. We can only hope.

Brother Shawn has been a great help going to shows, sanding, sanding and sanding some more. He may have inherited a bit of Papaw's packing gene.

Sister Heather has helped us whenever we ask and sometimes even when we don't. She definitely got that PaPaw packing gene. Her husband Terry is good at finding stuff and sometimes it's even stuff we can use.

Karl Rhoade's regular shop visits are a blessing bringing an artistic eye and a soulful approach to life. You can never have too much of either of those things.

Bob Pheil of Pheil Forges only two doors down offering sound advice, incredible metal work and a break from work here and there.

We want to say a big thank you to Jim Derby who has put on the Texas Furniture Makers Show for the past 10 years in Kerrville and retired this year.  We are thankful for winning the Best Texas Style Furniture Award two years in a row. Not bad for a Yankee!!

Our health has been relatively good the past year so we are definitely thankful for that. We have been down the road of health issues and it's not a journey we enjoy taking. We are still alive and kicking and all in all that's just a great thing!!

Our clients past, present and future are the biggest blessing we have as a furniture making company. We can't do this without you so we THANK YOU for your investment in Lou Quallenberg Studios.

If Art is a step from Nature toward the infinite, can furniture be art?

"Art is a step from nature toward the infinite." Kahlil Gibran

So can furniture really ever be considered art? Lou is consciously trying to bring his mesquite furniture to the level of art. Will we know if it ever reaches that level? I'm not sure, but I know that it won't keep us from trying.

We are having a difficult time finding appropriate places to show his work. True "Art" Galleries are quick to say that they do not show furniture, without even taking a look at his work. We have been in several galleries that use furniture as fixtures covering the pieces with guestbooks and nick nacks. When really one or two pieces of something sculptural would enhance both the sculpture and the furniture piece. I have to say Artisan's at Rocky Hill does a nice job of displaying our mesquite furniture pieces. Most Furniture and Retail stores are more interested in volume. Quantity over quality, the old stack 'em deep and sell 'em cheap philosophy. It is so hard to find a good fit.

So that leaves Shows as the best option to get his work out in front of the public eye. We prefer gallery setting shows with the pieces shown on pedestals, like art. We dislike outdoor shows for one main reason: THE WEATHER! The weather can ruin the finish of a piece and create all kinds of problems with wood. Warping, swelling, and sticking to name a few. This is the main reason we don't show at the Texas Mesquite Association Art Show in Fredricksburg, Texas. It is an outdoor show and it always seems to rain on that weekend. It poured this year and was cold on top of it all. We are still in the process of identifying which shows will give us exposure to the upscale clientele we serve. It is all trial and error and it helps so much when our artist friends share information about successes and failures on the show circuit. We are even working with some folks on creating an upscale show that would showcase artisans and in particular wood. We will of course be sharing that information once plans are finalized.

Don't forget The 10th Annual Texas Furniture Makers Show in Kerrville runs from October 22-December 6th this year. Based on what we saw on delivery day it will be another wonderful show. We saw some really amazing pieces! This year's Seminar “The Contemporary Scene in Handmade Furniture” with author and furniture maker Jonathan Binzen is on November 7th from 2:30 - 5:30 pm with the reception and awards ceremony to follow.


Advertising and our website are also ways to gain exposure but they lack one of the most important aspects of his work, the ability to touch, feel and look under his pieces. Lou is a great photographer but these pieces all present major challenges. They curve and wave, sweep and swoop and it is almost impossible to capture that multi-dimensionality in a photo. We have even considered video and it may help capture a few curves here and there but it presents even more technical challenges. In the end it probably won't reach the results we are looking for. Don't worry, it won't stop us from trying and we will post any suitable results on our website or here so keep checking back. Advertising in the high end magazines can eat into the wallet and then some and, depending on the economy or the issue, not have a payoff. We always track where our sales come from and so far the internet has been our best resource for new clients.

So as we try to push Lou Quallenberg's work, a step from nature towards the infinite and into the realm of art, we continue to be blessed with this amazing mesquite furniture journey. We look forward to spending another year reaching towards the infinite and following our dreams.