We're starting glass casting this week! The amazing and talented Alan Stratton of As Wood Turns is making us a turned wood egg box, as seen in his video here, and in the picture to the left, so we can use it as a template for lost wax cast glass egg boxes. If you're interested in cool turning projects, I highly recommend you follow Alan's blog.

It's a doozy to cast this, though. First we need to make a two-part silicone rubber mold for both the top and bottom of the egg, and engineer the two parts so they sit together well in order to make a sturdy, symmetrical mold for each part. Then, we'll pour hot wax in each mold to give us a model of the top and the base in wax. Then a plaster mold is poured around each wax part with a reservoir attached to each for glass. The wax needs to be melted out of the mold once it has set. Finally, the molds are fired (for several days!), and then each mold is broken carefully apart to remove the glass egg piece. It's tough, because each plaster mold can only be used once!

We'll make wood and metal bases for these glass eggs. If we can get this system working, they'll be beautiful!

Below are new boxes to debut at Artscape art fair in Dallas April 25-27. First, a new Little Red Riding Hood box- walnut sides, woodburned and painted maple top and base. The top shows Little Red walking into the dark forest; the inside shows a snarling red-eyed wolf. Also, a new handcarved, slightly heart-shaped walnut box with turquoise inlay and a snaky design in relief.

 And coming soon- new carved tops waiting for Tom to get off his butt and make boxes for them. He seems to think that a major bleeding finger injury is an excuse not to use that hand. First, a spalted maple wavy top: it looks like stone.Next to it, a curly myrtle top carved in one big curling wave, with natural purplish stripes in the wood. Gorgeous, if I do say so myself.

And we proudly announce that we are the proud landlords of a new family: 4 baby cardinals in a sturdy nest in the bamboo outside our studio. Behold our babies! They're ugly, but we love them.

I've been thinking a great deal recently about the curious girls of mythology: Eve and Pandora. Here's a recent box effort: a Pandora's Box, with all the evils that plague humanity growing out of a hole in the top. Inside, of course, is what was left when Pandora shut the box: Hope, woodburned and goldleafed. The box is maple, woodburned (woodburning all those letters and leaves by hand took about 10 hours!) and painted, and the whole thing lacquered. It still needs some finish work, but it's fantastic.

Here is a new Eve woodburning for a box top- Eve holding the apple and spellbound by the snake. It's modified from a lovely painting by Lucien Levy-Dhurmer. Below, a new glass-topped box: an etched glass jellyfish painted and covered with colored epoxy. The sides are bubinga wood, and the base is silverleafed with sterling silver to reflect light behind the glass top. Also below, a pecan box with a woodburning on top modified from a Rossetti drawing- but I added a dog. These boxes will be for sale at Art City Austin this weekend, so come out to see them- and us!

Here is our newest box- probably my favorite in a long while, which is good, because it battled Tom the whole time he was trying to put it together. He is now my Yoshimi- he didn't let those evil monkeys win. The 4 sides and the top are glass etched with monkeys on branches. The sides are connected with dark wenge wood and legs, and the inside base is goldleafed in 22K gold, which makes it glow from the inside. It's hinged. I was inspired by the gorgeous cast glass and brass monkey boxes of Georgia and Joseph Pozycinski (I would DIE to own one of these, but I'll remind everybody that our boxes are much less expensive). These made me want to make an awesome monkey box, too, and so we did. And the Pozycinskis have also inspired me to travel to Oregon in May to take a week-long glass-casting class from the master: Linda Ethier. Hopefully, cast glass boxes will be coming soon!

We're donating a box to a fundraising benefit for The Octopus Club benefiting the Paul Kirby Foundation, which provides emergency financial support for HIV/AIDS patients in Central Texas. It's an Art Erotica art auction on April 5th in Austin. The art at auction there will all be of a titillating nature, and 100% of the proceeds go to the foundation. It's a great cause, and a great reason to buy a naughty piece of art, so go to the event. We made this one specially for it- we've always wanted a reason to make a sexy box. Below the "read more" break (which for some bizarre reason doesn't work on Facebook) are pictures of our contribution (if you're going to be offended by sexy bits, don't look).

 We will be showing this spring in April at Art City Austin on April 12-13, and Artscape in the Dallas Arboretum on April 26-27. Come out to eiher of these fine art shows at fabulous locations- downtown Austin or the gardens of he Dallas Arboretum- and see us!
Here is our new koi box, made of leopardwood, with an etched, goldleafed, and painted top and a lacquered base- it's so shiny that the koi are reflected in it. It's hinged.

Another new box: walnut root burl top on a mesquite box with wenge trim and ceramic skull details. Also, we're working on a 5-sided glass box featuring monkeys. Here are some of the pieces- it will be glass on all four sides and the top, etched with monkeys on branches. The wood connecting pieces will be of black wenge, and the inside base will be goldleafed.

And here is one of the side pieces for another mostly glass box: an art nouveau inspired fish and water lilies. The top will be etched lilypads.

Our newest box- another in our "story box" series- with artwork modified from Laura Barrett's illustrations. This is "Snow White" with Snow White and the wicked queen woodburned on the front. The queen, of course, is looking into her magic mirror, which is real mirror inlaid into the maple, surrounded by wenge and purpleheart framing and woodburned detail. The queen has a 22K goldleafed crown on. The top is framed in wenge. Inside is a woodburning of the wicked queen in disguise as the old woman, holding out the poisoned apple, which is painted in red epoxy paint. The box is walnut with wenge trim.

And below are two new glass etchings- a woman and dog at sunset (we love dogs but have no dog love boxes- we had to rectify this!), and a murder of crows. Both are painted black in the etch, and the dog glass is covered with colored epoxy for the sunset effect.

 New boxes (and at great prices)- a woodburned and painted parakeet on maple, with pecan sides. The grain of the wood really cooperated here by giving a feathery effect to the green paint on the stomach.  We are huge parakeet fans, although our two parakeets think we are disgusting, revolting beasts. We seem  not to be able to convince them that we are good guys.
Below, a cockatoo box, also woodburned and painted maple with pecan sides.

Also below, two new etched and painted glass jellyfish; I was looking for a "watercolor" effect by putting paint on the etch and then rubbing most of it off. These have a lovely, delicate feel to them- they will make  beautiful, mostly opaque box tops. They are finished with epoxy with paint swirled into it to give a watery effect.

Also, the beginnings of a new locking box with a steampunk feel: a cabinet box with a raised wooden raven on a woodbunred tree. The raven will hold an ornate brass key on a ribbon in his beak on the front. The key will unlock the walnut box, and the inside back will be a contrast to the starkness of the outside: a vivid rose with a hummingbird, butterfly, and beetle, all painted in iridescent paint. I do like contrasts.

Tentacled sea creatures abound- a pretty octopus: woodburned and painted maple top, ambrosia maple sides (the natural design on the wood looks tentacle-ish), and a blue lacquered inside base to match the color of the top.

And more experimenting with epoxy on glass below: etched mermaid and octopuses, stained dark in the etch and covered with colored epoxy, and goldfish, etched, goldleafed and stained in the etch.