Working with LOVE and Letting Go

What a busy month it has been!
We actually took a break from the shop to show Lou's work at the Texas Mesquite Art Festival in Fredericksburg. We caught up with our artist friends, made so many great contacts and gave out more cards than we had actually planned for.  We are now the proud owners of the Rikon Mini Lathe that Wood Craft raffled off for the Texas Mesquite Association thanks to our dear client friend's George & Sheila R. who bought a ticket saying they would give it to Lou if they won it.  I'm the one that really wanted the mini lathe but that is a whole story for another time....

The Dancing Trees were safely delivered and installed in their recently constructed, private chapel home in Bandera.  You can read a bit more on that below.

Carolyn's Curves at the TFM Show

The Carolyn's Curves table was finished up in the nick of time and delivered to the Texas Furniture Makers Show in Kerrville as the final coat of oil and wax slowly dried and was quickly but lovingly rubbed in. As we headed home from the show drop off we received word that my great uncle Gene Walker (age 101) had passed away. He was an amazing man serving as Director of Wildlife Services for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and marrying his best friend's widow at age 85. He will be missed.

As I write this we attended the Texas Furniture Makers Show Award Ceremony and Reception and I'm proud to announce Lou's winning streak continues on, with a 3rd year in a row Best Texas Style Award. Not bad for a Jersey Boy! (MORE HERE)

Then to wrap it all up, a partnership between Lou Quallenberg Studios and Hill Country Mesquite in Nottinghamshire, England was developed with the agreement of sending the two Jackson Sister tables abroad to spread the word about both mesquite and Lou Quallenberg's Art Furniture Style.WOW! We are like worried parents as we let them go on this fabulous journey.

I wanted to touch a bit on the subject of letting go.  I can't speak for other artists but for Lou and I a sense of loss is felt each time we deliver a piece to it's new home or client.  So much time, love, energy and spirit is poured into each piece that the separation comes with a feeling of loss. I can't speak from experience but I believe it is much like the feeling a woman has just after giving birth.  The piece is made real and becomes it's own entity, set free into the world, no longer a part of you but still holding a piece of you inside.  It is at this point that hopefully another project or piece is there waiting in the wings to be made or the sense of loss can linger and turn into an emotional depression. (yep, been there.) We are becoming better at this letting go thing, but there are several pieces that remain in our possession that I suspect we have not been able to release emotionally and therefore are blocking the financial sale of them.

The Dancing Trees Project being one of Lou's largest pieces to date, was an incredible piece both in size and the time constraints placed on the project. Lou is not comfortable working quickly, he prefers to take time with his pieces often saying "you can't rush art." Most of his clients agree and wait patiently for their piece to be considered "done" by Lou's perspective.

We both truly believe the quote:

"Work is love made visible"  Kahlil Gibran. 

So when he agreed to take the project with the October 25th deadline we knew it would mean many late nights and no real time off until the piece was delivered.  When the client later requested that the following bible verse:

The wood burned bible verse on the back of Lou Quallenberg's Dancing Trees

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”(Col 3:23-24 NIV)

be added to the back of the Dancing Trees Lou thought "Oh no problem, we can just have a piece laser engraved and then embed it into the back."  WRONG! She said no, she wanted LOU to actually carve or burn it in.

Lou was so worried that he would make a mistake or that the results would be unprofessional and look like a five year old had done it. There would not be time to get the piece done and add the scripture, so it was agreed that he would add it at a later date.  Well Lou really does not like to do a job half way.  I have found that as you work with love in your heart and soul, the spirit takes over, and time actually has the ability to stretch. Sometimes this is referred to as being in the the zone. In this case it stretched enough for him to practice wood burning, Dremel and carving.

Lou Quallenberg's Dancing Trees glow during installation into their Chapel home.

He found that with such a short learning period, he produced the best results with the wood burning.  He also discovered that the wood burning worked better on an un-oiled surface, so he taped off one of his signature curves into a scroll like area and sanded it down. Then using a font that the client chose he burned the words one by one. Next he added the oil and wax finish.  The writing is inscribed on a lighter area with a desired ghosted effect to help aid in the visibility.

Lou Quallenberg's Dancing Trees were installed WITH the inscription because he worked with love in his heart and time stretched so the project would be complete.

Now we all know WHO did the stretching and had HIS hands all over this entire project from start to finish and for that we say a BIG thank you! We have been so very blessed.

Show Time and a New Look

It is American Craft Week  this week October 1st-10th 2010. Support your local and American artists, artisans and craftsmen this week and every week, ALL year long. It is a part of what makes America great! Find more info online here: http://americancraftweek.com/

 

The Chapel Construction Site "Noah's Dream"

 The final push to complete The Dancing Trees portion of this large commission project is underway.  We made a quick visit to the Chapel site in Bandera and it seems they are in the same boat.  Push push push!

I am not sure where Lou gets his stamina but I am, as always, in awe. He has been working until eight or nine almost every night and he takes a partial day off only when I begin kicking and screaming. Hey it is hard to compete with those seven lovely mesquite ladies in all their wood grained glory! They consume him. Speaking of consuming our evening meal is usually at 9 or 9:30pm and probably why I am currently gaining weight. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

Barney 126lbs?!!

BTW Barney is currently tipping the scales at 126 lbs with three more months to go before he hits his first birthday.

It will be tight but we DO still hope and plan to show at the Texas Mesquite Association's Mesquite Art Festival in Fredericksburg, Texas on October 8th, 9th and 10th, 2010.

Our Niece Taylor Martin

Because of the Show we will have my niece's Sweet 16 Birthday Party on that Thursday instead of Friday (then she will have her Paintball Party on that Sunday with her friends.)

Happy Sweet Sixteen Taylor Leigh Martin!  We Love You!! She is so Sa-Weet! (A lil sassy too! )

At the Fredericksburg Mesquite Art Festival/Show we will get to catch up with our artist friends Craig Lagerstrom, Cappy White and Scott & Stephanie Shangraw and hopefully make some $ales. Pray for good weather! It was wet and cold last year. Wet and cold is just not good for the furniture and a major reason why we do not do outdoor shows. This will be our first time at Fredericksburg - we prefer the San Angelo Mesquite Festival/ Show because it is INSIDE at Fort Concho.

 Texas Furniture Makers Show: Steve Walker & Lou Quallenberg

Lou is also trying to finish up his piece for the 11th Annual Texas Furniture Makers Show in Kerrville, Texas. That piece, a beautiful sculpted mesquite coffee table, needs to deliver on October 18th for the Show opening day October 21st. The Texas Furniture Makers Show is held at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center and goes from Oct 21st until December 4th, 2010.  The Eleventh Annual Texas Furniture Makers Show Awards Ceremony and Reception is on October 30th, where we will find out if this years piece is a Strazzanator.  Lou coined the term because Frank Strazza of Homestead Heritage has a way with furniture making using only hand tools. His pieces are exquisite and each year Lou shoots to create a piece that will stand up to Frank's work and perhaps one day take home the Best in Show award.

"The Dancing Trees" will leave the Lou Quallenberg Studios workshop in  Llano and take up residence in their beautiful new Chapel the end of October.  I know Lou will have a hard time parting with these beautiful ladies. He always feels the loss when his pieces go to their new homes.

A New Look......

Lou Quallenberg Studios "NEW" look to attract more artistic, sculptural work  (Photo from Dancing Trees)

We are currently rolling out a new look, designed we hope, to attract more artistic, sculptural work from our clients.  We will have the new post cards at the shows and we have an ad that will hit the December Issue of Cowboys & Indians Magazine on newsstands the end of October.  Cowboys & Indians Magazine is the magazine that included Lou Quallenberg in the article Woodworkers who've carved out reputations as some of the country's best craftsmen.)  Also look for the new look on our website here: www.LouQart.com  Let us know what you think.

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.

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.

 ©

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.