Kinetic wind sculptures

[navigator9]

So it's March and I'm starting to think about the garden, and I was perusing Pinterest, looking for ways to keep birds out of the veggie garden, and I ran across wind spinners to make from soda cans....which led me to videos of the most incredibly beautiful wind sculptures I've ever seen, made by Anthony Howe. Talk about going from the ridiculous to the sublime! If I ever won Lotto, I'd snatch one up in a heartbeat. I thought they were too beautiful not to share.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIbk4AKFMTc[/ame]

 

[TeresaT]

Mesmerizing. I could sit and watch them for hours. Talk about a stress reliever!

ETA: thanks for sharing. Sometimes I forget to say the most obvious things!

 

[Misschief]

That came across my FB feed yesterday... amazing, aren't they?

 

[CaraBou]

Yes, mesmerizing! The prices on the other hand are a little shocking. More power to him, though, for mastery of his unique art.

 

[houseofwool]

Yes, mesmerizing! The prices on the other hand are a little shocking. More power to him, though, for mastery of his unique art.

Why are the prices shocking? I'm genuinely curious.

The skill level is so high and the math? Beyond anything I could do.

http://youtu.be/Uu_qFDanGPY

I think as crafters we continually underestimate the value of our work.

 

[dibbles]

Thank you for sharing. I so wish I had the ability not only to create beautiful art pieces like this, but to envision them as well. He has an amazing talent.

 

[TeresaT]

Why are the prices shocking? I'm genuinely curious.

The skill level is so high and the math? Beyond anything I could do.

http://youtu.be/Uu_qFDanGPY

I think as crafters we continually underestimate the value of our work.

Amen to that! I used to know a "carpet artist." I don't know what wlse to call him. He made murals and things out of carpet. He was incredibly talented. Landscapes. Seascapes. Portraits. Disney characters. You name it, he could sew pieces of carpet together and create it. He sold the pieces at very reasonable prices. No one wanted to buy them. When he he tripled the prices, he could not make them fast enough. People are odd. They'll pay what they perceive something is worth to them if it is unique enough. I never thought I'd pay $35 for four bars of soap, but I did. All the way from South Africa! (That included the shipping.)

Someday, I'm going to have to figure out prices for my handmade items. I hope no one will balk if they see $50 for a hand knit pair of 100% merino wool socks.

 

[jules92207]

How beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

 

[navigator9]

I remember years ago, seeing a woman on TV who sold stamped T shirts that she carved the stamps for out of potatoes. She said they sold very poorly until someone suggested that she raise the price, and when she did so, they started selling like hotcakes, so Teresa, I find it easy to believe your story. Sometimes the more unlikely the chance we could ever own something, the more we want it. But as far as these sculptures go, all the planning and mathematics, and I'm sure there's lots of trial and error, and then each pieces is shaped by hand, and they're HUGE, so the materials themselves must cost a mint. And figuring out how to make them move so fluidly...pure genius! So, the prices are shocking to someone like me, who will never have money to spend on something like that, but are they worth it? IMO, they're worth every penny. It made me happy to imagine one in the middle of my back yard, and lying on the grass beneath it and just watching it move against the sky. It's very meditative watching their movement and I can imagine lying there, looking up at one of, and getting lost for the good part of an afternoon. I'm just glad my little spinning soda can project led me to discover them. :grin:

 

[DeeAnna]

Thank you -- the video created a lovely, calm moment in my day.

 

[Misschief]

Someday, I'm going to have to figure out prices for my handmade items. I hope no one will balk if they see $50 for a hand knit pair of 100% merino wool socks.

I have a friend who knits socks (as do I but she sells; I make them for my husband and myself). One of her customers orders one pair every year; she charges him $100 plus shipping and he has never hesitated to pay it. That was more than 10 years ago; I'm sure her price will have gone up by now. Yes, there are people who will balk at the price but I also think that if you undervalue your own work, others will, too.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

I have a friend who knits socks (as do I but she sells; I make them for my husband and myself). One of her customers orders one pair every year; she charges him $100 plus shipping and he has never hesitated to pay it. That was more than 10 years ago; I'm sure her price will have gone up by now. Yes, there are people who will balk at the price but I also think that if you undervalue your own work, others will, too.

$100 per pair? I'd say that's rather underpriced if she were counting her time! I'm on the faster end of knitting of the knitting speed spectrum, and it still takes me 30-40 hours for a basic pair of socks...

 

[Misschief]

$100 per pair? I'd say that's rather underpriced if she were counting her time! I'm on the faster end of knitting of the knitting speed spectrum, and it still takes me 30-40 hours for a basic pair of socks...

I know. He was getting a deal, really. Most knitters don't usually count the hours unless it's a larger project. I once knitted a wedding dress (it wasn't as fancy as it sounds); I estimated that it would take me about 50 hours. The bride bought the pattern and the yarn; I knitted it. She balked at the $500 price tag but when I pointed out that minimum wage here in BC was $10/hour, she agreed that she was getting a good deal. The dress did take almost precisely 50 hours; I kept track.

The point I was trying to make is that we, as crafters, often undersell ourselves. It's when we charge what an item SHOULD cost, taking into account the cost of supplies and overhead plus our labour, that we will teach those wanting our products what it's really worth. Those who appreciate what goes into a product usually have no issue with paying what it's really worth.

I remember when I used to do cross stitch, being told that if I wanted to sell, I should figure $1.25 - $1.75 per square inch plus the cost of framing. That was quite a few years ago now but the principle is valid.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Wow, that was really beautifull to watch, and very calming and serene.

I can see his pieces seem to be strongly inspired by nature, as they seem to pick up the mathematical red thread that repeats itself and is called the fibonacci sequence. I think that is one of the reasons I really loved these pieces (the face was cool too though...).
I can see underwater creatures in several of his pieces, like jellyfish, sea lillies and other things that live in coral reefs etc, the movements are very similar, which makes it double cool for me.

The prices seems legit to me, and totally worth it, considering these pieces will last a lifetime or two, if properly looked after. If someone bought the $250.000 one, their ancestors will get just as much joy out of it as they did and have a time piece that will last and last...

Thank you for sharing!

 

[dixiedragon]

Wow. Just wow. Those are STUNNING.

Regarding your garden: Something I found to be effective for tomatoes - get some red plastic ornaments and hang those from your tomato cages. The birds will try to eat them, figure out their are plastic, and leave - so when your actual tomatoes come in, they leave them alone! I couldn't find the ornaments, so I got a red noodle at the Dollar store and cut it into chunks.

 

[snappyllama]

Those are simply amazing. Thank you for sharing the video. If I ever had the money...

 

[Steve85569]

Wow. Just wow. Those are STUNNING.

Regarding your garden: Something I found to be effective for tomatoes - get some red plastic ornaments and hang those from your tomato cages. The birds will try to eat them, figure out their are plastic, and leave - so when your actual tomatoes come in, they leave them alone! I couldn't find the ornaments, so I got a red noodle at the Dollar store and cut it into chunks.

Our local $ store has some small ( and really not anything like the OP video) mobiles that help with birds.

Then again I have to have a fence 8' tall to keep deer out.:evil:

 

[navigator9]

Wow. Just wow. Those are STUNNING.

Regarding your garden: Something I found to be effective for tomatoes - get some red plastic ornaments and hang those from your tomato cages. The birds will try to eat them, figure out their are plastic, and leave - so when your actual tomatoes come in, they leave them alone! I couldn't find the ornaments, so I got a red noodle at the Dollar store and cut it into chunks.

You know, I bought a bunch of red ornaments at the dollar store to decorate my mantle. Now I can just repurpose them, thanks for the idea!

Our local $ store has some small ( and really not anything like the OP video) mobiles that help with birds.

Then again I have to have a fence 8' tall to keep deer out.:evil:

I'll check at the dollar store for those, they should have all the spring things out by now. And yes, I have deer too, but my girlfriend gave me some spray that helps with them. Now if it would only keep out those groundhogs!!! Not a great picture, I had to take it through the window, but this is mama on lookout while one of her babies snacks. I actually saw one shinny up a little sapling and look around, and shinny back down again. They are so much fun to watch, but so destructive.

 

[lsg]

The wind sculptures are lovely.

 

[Rowan]

Thanks so much for sharing this. They were so stunning and beautiful. I feel like I could watch them forever!