A Bird's Eye View...

The question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, has always been asked, but to date no scientific answer has been given. Where did birds come from is another puzzling question within the evolutionary biology community. There are those that say a connection exists between birds and dinosaurs because fossils found from over twenty species of dinosaurs contained feathers that formed wings. Birds and dinosaurs do share many similiar features, leading some scientists to conclude that this is the missing link in the process of evolution. Others wrestle with the controversial question of which came first, the bird or the dinosaur.

What we know for sure is that the birds have survived, who knows how long -- maybe millions of years. According to those in the know, we have over 10,000 species on the planet, 800 or so in North America, and a total of 417 that have been recorded in the State of Connecticut, one of which is the American Robin, our State bird. Considering that our State is only 5,500 square miles, we have a surprising number of birds within our borders. Our State is rich in natural habitat that is just perfect for them.

Birds are doing okay for themselves, if you ask me. Alfred Hitchcock gave them a leading role in his classic film "The Birds" -- remember that?  The United States gives the Bald Eagle plenty of recognition as its national bird and symbol. Birds are represented at our ball games (falcons, blue jays, hawks, ravens, and so on). Birds also have a following. Those who bird watch as a hobby make "birding" the largest spectator sport in America!

Birds have it easy. They can just pick up and go. If it gets too cold or there is a shortage of food, they will pack up and migrate. They vacation in warm places like Costa Rica (hummingbirds) and South America (red-breasted grosbeaks) for example. I imagine that's where the expression "snow-birds" came from. When it gets cold, head south! Did you know that most birds, when migrating, fly at night using the stars to navigate? Others, like doves, use the Earth's magnetic fields to guide them. Some migrators may travel incredible distances, logging as much as 15,000 miles or more in one year. Whew... who knew.

Here in Connecticut, our local artists have portrayed birds in all media. Applying their talents in paintings as "Birds On A Wire" or on ornaments depicting bluebirds, robins and yellow finches, as Patty from Coventry has done. Carvings of Japanese Cranes and Egrets out of wood are crafted by Derek of Norwich. James from North Windham carved his Shore Birds and Canadian Goose from wood, as well. Terese of Chaplin incorporated "Birds Of The Sky" into a handwoven wall hanging. Pat of Tolland uses chickadees, doves and cardinals in her creations made of glass. Jack of North Windham put birds in his painting entitled "The Woods In Springtime."  John from Hamden uses a wood burning technique to feature the "Osprey" and "Nest Building" in his pieces, and Marilyn from Marlbrough displays Carolina wrens, willetts, and sparrows in addition to warblers, nuthatches and black-bellied plovers on her note cards.

As I say, not only are the birds doing okay, but they are getting plenty of coverage. Plus they have their charisma going for them. Why else would people build bird houses and hang feeders for them? Heck, I even shovel the snow around the feeders so they can find the seeds! I keep those feeders full and put out suet cakes for my fine feathered friends so that I can get a bird's eye view of the action from my window.

The works of the above-mentioned bird loving artists can be viewed at http://www.connecticuthandiworks.com/.

Jimmy Halloran is Co-Owner of ConnecticutHandiworks.com, an online retailer featuring handcrafted items made in Connecticut.

jimmy130@live.com  /  860.942.7571  / 

PO Box 26 Hampton, CT.

  06247

The Art Of Wood Carving

There are many theories about how, where and when human beings came to be. The only real proof we have to go by are fossils and found skeletons. The oldest human bones found were discovered in Ethiopia, East Africa, and they belonged to Lucy. According to radiometric dating, this old gal was walking around somewhere between 3 and 3.6 million years ago. Now, we know she wasn't the first human on the planet. She had parents, who had parents and so on, so we really don't know when it all started. I will say this though, whenever it was, as soon as man found a sharp rock I believe he began to whittle wood.

We can only go by what we have found. The oldest forms of wood carvings were found in Egypt and date back to possibly 4000 BC. I imagine this wood survived time due to the extreme dryness of the Egyptian climate. At that time Egyptian hieroglyphs were carved into large wood panels that were uncovered in some of the ancient tombs.

Man has always had a tendency to decorate and embelish articles that are commonly used and viewed, whether it be in catheredrals, abbeys, or in the home as furniture or house enhancements. This love affair with items carved from wood has taken place throughout the ages all over the world. Granted, the art has gone out of fashion because it is time consuming and requires significant skill, resulting in expensive pieces. The invention of wood carving machines and wood stamping presses hasn't helped, either.

We do have some good carvers here in Connecticut, and I will talk about two of them whom I know personally. James of North Windham, Connecticut fulfills the role not only of a woodcarver but also of a teacher. James has been carving in wood for over 35 years, and has taught woodcarving in the public school system as well as in private classes. The standard he sets is a quality of craftsmanship that has earned him an enduring reputation among his peers for his traditional European style of carving. He creates history from his carvings.

James's latest carvings include his preening swan fashioned from white pine, the Dowitcher shorebird carved with a graceful flow of the neck and head, the classical folk art shorebird decoy and the valiant flier, the Canadian goose. These birds are so realistic that you expect them to fly away as you move closer to view them.

When weather permits, James can be found at the Revolutionary War reenactments dressed in his 1700s garb and speaking in old Colonial fashion while carving something fantastic out of wood. While he carves he tells stories about how life was hundreds of years ago. Watching him, listening to his vocabulary in that accent of his, and looking around at the group of other reenactors brings one back in time. It's a wonderful feeling... We need more people like James who can take us on such a trip.

Another talented woodcarver is Derek of Norwich, Connecticut, he has also been carving for 35 years. Derek has exhibited his works of art at various art galleries and at the Slater Museum in Norwich, and has participated in many sucessful art shows throughout Eastern Connecticut. Derek's works include dolphins, cranes and model ships in which his attention to detail creates a lifelike appearance.

Some of Derek's carvings include his bottlenose dolphin made from cedar, painted dolphins made from cedar and mounted on a vine, dolphins at play on a wave and three dolphins at play fashioned from birchwood and mounted on a  root burl.

Derek has carved a fleet of old sailing ships that have been carved according to details gleaned from extensive research. Two of these are of an ancient Dahshur boat made of teakwood and his Chinese junk carved from white ash and then painted by hand.

Although I am impressed with all of Derek's carvings, his maplewood Japanese cranes have attracted my attention due to the feathers that are carved from wood. They look so much like real feathers that I had to touch them to make sure they were wood! These birds, caught in the act of flapping their wings, appear ready for take off. I've never seen anything like it and I asked him how he does it. He smiled and said "experience."

So, here we have it. Two master woodcarvers with over 70 years experience between them, carrying on an art form that has been around since the beginning of time. The work of both artists may be viewed at connecticuthandiworks.com.

Jimmy Halloran is Co-Owner of ConnecticutHandiworks.com, an online retailer featuring handcrafted items made in Connecticut.

jimmy130@live.com  /  860.942.7571  / 

PO Box 26 Hampton, CT.

  06247

Got Trees?

Aside from being nice to have around, trees also provide us with nuts, fruit, maple syrup and wood for starters, and the list goes on. Can you imagine a world without wood? I can. In the 1980s I spent time in Thailand where slash-and-burn cultivation techniques were being applied. This happens when the jungle and forests are in the way of people wanting to plant crops. So they clear the land. I've seen large swaths of what was thriving wooded area reduced to smoldering ruins.

This process combined with what I call tree poaching, the felling and exportation of choice trees to Japan created a problem. They sold off their wood for money. The final results of slash and burn and the exportation of trees without the insight of proper planning was a shortage of trees. No trees, no wood. No trees, no paper products. I mean they had some trees -- they kept their rubber and palm trees. They had plenty of bamboo, but their best trees were gone. Maybe not all of them, but most. In a society where supply and demand makes the world go around, the local communities could not afford to buy wood. The ripple effect was that nothing was made of wood anymore. I have never seen a wooden residential house in Thailand. They are all concrete. Tables, beds, telephone poles, fences, benches and anything that use to be made of wood is now concrete!

Paper, a bi-product of wood, was also in short supply if available at all. I recall eating out at a neighborhood restaurant where there was only one menu. It was a paper menu that was passed from table to table. Instead of paper napkins there was a roll of toilet paper on each table. It was what it was. Acceptable behavior under these conditions. Paper could be had, I'm sure, but the price was too high to pay.

Here in Connecticut we have our own situation with trees. As I look around we seem to have plenty of trees, but we have been losing  them. I live in a house built in 1779. The floors are all wide-board chestnut and white pine, even in the attic. These trees were overharvested to the point where you can't get them anymore. They were old growth -- big, tall and really old trees. Blight killed off the chestnut trees in the early 1960s. No one seems to know what happened to the white pine trees that used to grow down around the bogs in North Windham. The white birch, which needed cold weather to thrive, was wiped out in the 1970s by too many years of warm weather. It all adds up.

The woods that we are left to build with are mostly pine, Douglas fir, spruce and hemlock. That's it. If we want yellow pine we need to have it brought up from the South. The red cedars used to be plentiful, but if you want it now it's going to cost you, because it comes from the West Coast.

 During World War II, in an effort to be resourceful, the common 2" by 4" was shaved down to 1-1/2" by 3-1/2". Sizes stayed the same after the War but prices continued to rise. As recently as 10 years ago all our 1" by's were shaved down. Example: A 1" by 10" board was trimmed down to a 3/4" by 9-1/4". So, we are getting less wood and it's costing us more money. The concept of supply and demand is alive and doing well.

Getting back to the woods that are no longer available or too expensive, we're left with the process of elimination. What are we using? Have you considered putting in new wood flooring lately? If so, how do you like your choices? All kinds of materials are available that simulate wood. Most people go for the laminate. If you want a real wood floor, get ready for the pieces that look like scraps. You will have to settle for short lengths. Back in the day you could go 24" wide and 24' in length if you chose to do so. All we are left here with are remnants and memories...

My neighbor Henry, a home builder and woodworker all of his life, suggested that when a tree is taken down a sapling be planted in its place. That'll help but won't solve the problem by itself. What I would like to see are some salvage yards where a fellow can be paid for bringing in his used wood and wood products for resale instead of paying a fee at the dump to have the wood destroyed.

We are using our wood faster than we can grow it. I don't think we will ever be faced with what Thailand experienced, but with our wood becoming scarce and the prices going through the roof, the handwriting is on the wall and to me it looks like graffiti...

Jimmy Halloran is Co-Owner of ConnecticutHandiworks.com, an online retailer featuring handcrafted items made in Connecticut.

jimmy130@live.com  /  860.942.7571  / 

PO Box 26 Hampton, CT.

  06247

Jewelry and Its Designers...Part Two

There is nothing as heart warming as a love story, and Anna is living it.  As a young girl growing up in Italy, Anna was introduced to a fellow from the States who came to visit her family. They had eyes for each other and he promised that some day, when she was older, he would come back for her. Some years later came a knock at the door. It was her Prince Charming and he wanted to take Anna to America. Today, proving that there is true love in the world, Anna and Vito were married, have a grown daughter and are still living happily ever after in Danielson, Connecticut.

Eighteen years ago Anna fell in love again, only this time with beading. It all started when she discovered that she was allergic to all base metals, especially nickel, and could wear only silver and gold.  Loving color so much Anna starting stringing beads for herself and soon became addicted to this newfound passion. All of Anna's jewelry is hand woven, using only the best glass, crystals and pearls. She also uses semi-precious stones and all her metals are sterling silver, gold-filled brass or surgical steel (no nickel anywhere). "My inspiration comes from everywhere and never seems to end... just not enough time to do it all," she says.

Tell me... have you ever seen a checkbook cover done in Delica beads from a loom?  How about beaded rings?  Say, for instance, a Swarovski maroon pearl with a fire-polished Czech glass band. No? I didn't think so. All of Anna's pieces are one of a kind and receive compliments from all that notice her jewelry. Some of her other unique pieces include a bracelet made with Czech crystals featuring Swarovski accents and red seed beads, her black vintage cameo and her earrings of dark red coral with hand-carved flowers. Anna's designs are.. are... what's the word I'm looking for... Gorgeous!  Anna's love for beading shows in her magnificent work... You go girl, I feel the love!

Did you know? Almost anything can be used in the making of jewelry. I say almost because lead can't. Not in England, anyway. English assay offices will not give its "Hallmark Stamp of Approval" on any items containing lead or lead solder. Instead, those pieces are confiscated and destroyed!

Linda Jo, nicknamed "gypsy at heart," is a creative lady originally from the Adirondacks who now lives in Windham, Connecticut.  She possesses a wide range of talents and that's probably one of the reasons she has been selected to lead the local Artisans Co-operative as their President.  Linda Jo, now retired from the mental health field, has taught many classes in various media where, I believe, she learned to think out of the box. Aside from her handmade lavender glass and silver earrings or the earrings fashioned from turquoise bead with silver and wooden beads, I have noticed her handfelted necklaces. Felt? Yup... Handfelted balls along with silver beads, nice muted colors and they,of course, are lightweight. Leave it up to the gypsy at heart! Working in various media Linda Jo also makes scarves, neck warmers, baby hats, and my favorite, which are the handfelted catnip balls and handfelted catnip mice. Here kitty, kitty, kitty...

Jewelry is here to stay. In a 2007 study entitled, "Global Jewelry Consumpton," KPMG India stated that the largest jewelry market in the world is the United States with a market share of 30.8%, followed by Japan, India, China and the Middle East, each with 8-9% and Italy with 5%. The field of artisan jewelry making continues to grow as a profession and as a hobby.  Man, we sure do know how to look good, don't we?

My last piece of must-know information is that the amber gemstone needs to be over one million years old in order to be classified as amber. Some amber has been identified as being 120 million years old!  Okay, you can go now...

Jimmy Halloran is Co-Owner of ConnecticutHandiworks.com, an online retailer featuring handcrafted items made in Connecticut.

jimmy130@live.com  /  860.942.7571  / 

PO Box 26 Hampton, CT.

  06247

Jewelry and Its Designers...Part One

Once upon a time long, long ago -- 100,000 years ago -- people were making jewelry. We know this because beads made from nassarius (mud snail shells) were found from that time. Early jewerly was also fashioned from animal teeth, bone, wood, and carved stone. Jewelry throughout time has served many purposes, including currency and wealth display and was used  for protection in the form of amulets. Buckles, pins and clasps gave jewelry a functional purpose. Jewelry also represented symbolism, a show of status or membership as indicated by the use of the Jewish Star of David, the Christian crucifix cross, and the wedding ring. Finally, jewelry was, and still is, used as a display of artistic expression.

Patti of Coventry, Connecticut, incorporates a wide range of materials into her jewelry. Some of her pins are fashioned from slate or beach stones, then hand painted and transformed into images of animals, New England-style homes, barns, and shops. Ya gotta see these... Her glazed clay pendants are made from earthenware clay and impressed with objects found in nature, then bisque fired, glazed, then refired. Quite a process.

Patti, also a Hospice Chaplin,  loves to use sea glass in many of her creations and believes this glass is an inspiration to her patients. She says, "Like each of us, pieces of glass travel on a singular journey. And over time, the glass is tossed about in raging seas, through dark and lonely nights, carrying the hope of each new day. Against all odds, it is eventually transformed into something more beautiful than it was when its journey began." That's a nice way of looking at it...

Did you know that perforated beads fashioned from snail shells, dating back 75,000 years, were found in Africa? And in Kenya, beads made from the egg shells of ostriches were being used 40,000 years ago! Apparently people have enjoyed adorning themselves since the beginning of time as we know it.

Pat of Tolland, Connecticut is fascinated with dichroic glass, understandably so since the beauty in the results of this process is hard to describe.  Dichroic glass dates back to the 4th century, AD.  What is unique about this process is what comes out of making it. Ready? Multi ultra-thin layers of different metals (gold, silver), metal oxides and silica are vaporized by an electron beam in a vacuum chamber. The vapor then condenses on the surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. Still with me? This is sometimes followed by a protective layer of quartz crystal. I'll stop here because I don't want to lose you, but you get the point -- it's an intricate process. Pat designs and produces all of her high quality pins, earrings and pendants, which transmit completely different reflective colors as wave lengths of light either pass through, or are reflected when the angle of view changes. The effect is unbelievable.

Glass has been used in the making of jewelry throughout time. In ancient Egypt 3,000 to 5,000 years ago the Egyptians had glass formulations to mimic all of the gemstones. The Greeks added their jewels to molds and then filled them with poured glass. Advanced glass techinques created by Venetian glass masters have developed a wide range of glass jewelry. Murano glass and Murano beads started their popularity back in the 13th century.

Laura, Denise and Michele of Brooklyn, Connecticut were guided by destiny and their talents collided when they came together to make jewelry. Laura has a fondness for making vintage lockets, among her many talents. Denise enjoys working in stained glass repair and restoration in addition to her love for creating beads using the lampworking process. Michele also likes to work with stained glass as well as making glass beads, and leaves her own signature on beads that set them apart from those of her sister, Denise.

Their handmade creations range from handsewn neckbands, bubble bead pendants, and twist bangle braclets to pendants featuring lampwork beads and Swarovski clear crystals. I am amazed at how a delicate little glass rose flower can be fashioned to include tiny purple and pink "budlets." I've always heard the expression "two heads are better than one," but three heads... look out...these gals are turning out keepsakes.

Jimmy Halloran is Co-Owner of ConnecticutHandiworks.com, an online retailer featuring handcrafted items made in Connecticut.

jimmy130@live.com  /  860.942.7571  / 

PO Box 26 Hampton, CT.

  06247

The Chandlers...

Chili Bob of Norwich, Connecticut is a candlestick maker who likes to make candles the old fashioned way. He dips them in a vat of hot wax time and time again until he gets the look he wants. He likes to sit out in the sun come early Fall, talking stories about how life used to be back in the 1700s. See, Chili likes to dress up in his Revolutionary War garb and take part in the reenactments that take place all throughout New England. 

Candle making didn't start in the 1700s, though. In fact, candle making has come a long way since the earliest known candles dating back to 221-206 BC when they were made from whale fat by the Chinese. Both the Chinese and the Japanese are credited with using wax taken from insects and seeds wrapped in paper to be burned.

Chili Bob's candles are different. They have their own character and no two are alike. They appear rustic, and have a curl to them, not like your store boughts. I wouldn't describe them as pretty, straight or smooth. As Chili likes to say, "If you're lookin' for a perfect candle, this ain't it."

Laura, "head chandler" of her "mom and pop" company in Bolton, Connecticut has a different take on candles. She likes to make scented candles. "I love the way the scent of a candle can entirely change the feeling of the room," she says. Laura started making candles on her kitchen stove, melting (paraffin) wax in deep fryers, then adding color and fragrance in preparation to hand pour each candle. Laura finally got out of the kitchen and into a workshop where she has expanded her line of scented candles. Her winter candles include "Winter's Night" which has the scents of warm vanilla with a hint of peppermint, and "Winter Woods" with scents of sandalwood, pine needles, patchouli and freshly fallen leaves, hmmmm. I find it interesting how the sense of smell can bring us back in time to places and events. These scented candles do just that...

The art of candle making is as old as the hills and comes with an extensive, interesting history. Today's candle making techniques didn't just happen. They evolved over time through a trial-and-error process. The first candles used in Europe were made by nomadic tribes late in the Roman era and were made from tallow, an animal fat, and they smelled bad. Because they stunk, a replacement was found using the wax from plant extracts. Different people came up with their own versions of candles. The Tibetans used yak butter. The Chinese found that bees produced wax, and started using it in candles between 265 and 420 BC. The use of "candle fish" became popular in the 1st century AD, when someone had the bright idea of taking this dried fish, putting it on a forked stick and lighting it to use as a candle. Who knew... I wonder what Chili and Laura would say to that?

The Anglo-Saxon King, Alfred the Great, c. 849-899, came up with a the idea of using the candle to tell time: a candle clock. He would mark lines on his candlesticks that would note the passing of each hour.  The timer candle came next, with a metal nail inserted at a desired point.  When the candle melted down to this point the nail would fall, striking a hard surface. Could this have been the first alarm clock?

Bringing it home, the American colonists found that bayberries made for a good candle, but required too much work. It took 15 pounds of boiled bayberries to get only one pound of wax! History has it that chemists in the early 1800s distilled paraffin from coal-tar and produced what was needed to make inexpensive candles of high quality. This wax had a bluish-white color and burned cleanly, with no unpleasant tallow odor.

With the introduction of the light bulb the candle is no longer a necessity. Instead, it is considered a decorative pleasure. Today's market offers a full array of candles made in a variety of shapes, colors, and even scents, like the ones Laura loves to make.

Jimmy Halloran is Co-Owner of ConnecticutHandiworks.com, an online retailer featuring handcrafted items made in Connecticut.

jimmy130@live.com  /  860.942.7571  / 

PO Box 26 Hampton, CT.

  06247