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Friday, February 22, 2008

Photohunt: Wooden


When I saw that the photohunt theme this week was wooden, my first thought was a wooden expression or a wooden performance by an actor. Ironically, my first wooden photograph is of my laughing Buddha who is literally wooden but has a very animated expression on his face. His smile is not wooden at all but is rather happy and full of fun.For the rest of this post I am going to feature my wooden screen. The coromandel screen below is very heavy which is why I wasn't able to do as good of a job of showing you both sides of the screen as I would have liked to.

The screen is in a corner of my living room so you can only see one side most of the time. Each of the 4 panels has distinctive work on each side. I had forgotten how much I liked the other side until I tried to photograph some of it for this post. The first 3 photographs are of the side of the wooden screen that you can see in my living room. When the screen was in my parents' house, they had it turned the other way. I think part of the reason why I have it turned the way I do is that I grew up looking at the other side. When I first moved the screen (or rather had friends move it as it's very heavy) into my house, I decided to try it on this side for a while.
For the purpose of the wooden photohunt, I wanted to shoot both sides of the screen. However, I didn't risk turning it all the way around by myself as it's quite old and fragile, as well as being heavy, and I was afraid of dropping it. I carefully folded it part of the way around and only managed to shoot two of the panels on the other side. Below is what I could shoot of the side which faces the wall.

According to an article I found about coromandel, the technique involves applying layers of wet clay to the wood, baking them in order to harden the clay, then applying several layers of lacquer. Once the lacquer dries, intricate patterns are carved on to the furniture, which is then painted with a protective finish.
I suppose I should try to find out if there is something I can do to preserve it better. I know that it's quite old and there was some damage long before it became mine. Now that I have looked again at the side of my screen which I currently have against the wall (the last 3 shots), I think I realize why my parents, always had it turned that way. Perhaps I'll get Bill to help me turn it that way soon for a change since I've had it the other way now for 10 years.

Photohunters post on Saturday at the home of the hunt, here -


Early birds can be found on technorati here -

73 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay i'm your first visitor this week! That is a really cute wooden buddha. =D. Wow you have a lot of chinese stuff at home.

MaR said...

I's so beautiful, Carver. It's also wonderful to see something very special from your living room.

Have a grand weekend!

Anonymous said...

your wooden screen is amazing. The detail is wonderful...

Liz Hinds said...

It's very beautiful but it looks as though it should be light!

Unusual to see a Buddha smiling!

ipanema said...

beautiful subjects! i love the buddha's expression. :)

Anonymous said...

I like the laughing buddha. Laughing buddha always bring happiness to us.

Anonymous said...

That's cool wooden Buddha,Liz was right,should put on some light,at night time it would look fantastic

Anonymous said...

Nice wooden Buddha,great photo for the theme,i like it

Anonymous said...

Carver, those are wonderful pieces in your home. Thanks for giving us a peek.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Natalie said...

That's a very beautiful piece!

jmb said...

Very interesting photos for this week's theme Carver. That is a very special screen.

Anonymous said...

Love the colors in the screen!

Fishman said...

That is such a beautiful wooded screen! Both sides are equally good to look at.

Napaboaniya.Elaine Ling said...

I love the laughing Buddha. The chinese believe having that in the house will have everyone feeling calm and cheerful. I hope that effect is rubbing off in your household :)

My grandparents used to have that wooden screen wall too :) Brings back memories.
Have a good weekend Carver!

Trinity said...

Whoa!! You have so many beautiful wooden collections!! Awesome..

Mine is up at Rooms of my heart..

Heather said...

That is a very beautiful screen.

eastcoastlife said...

The screen is an antique. I love the intricate carvings depicting life of a Chinese household on it.

I love laughing Buddha because it never fail to bring a smile to my face whenever I look at one. He's one happy-go-lucky fella. hehe...

Melli said...

LOL! I LOVE the little Buddha! Ya know... something about that belly is just SOOOOO irresistible!

Anonymous said...

That is a beautiful wooden screen. I would have a tough time deciding which side to display.

Jen said...

I wish I had such beautiful stuff in my house. It's all just really details and gorgeous! Have a great weekend! :)

Corey~living and loving said...

wow...what a beautiful screen. Stunning. great choice for the theme for sure.
happy weekend.

Leslie: said...

What a fabulous screen! And such detail...I'd love something like that.

Anonymous said...

Amazing wooden screen :D

Will you visit my “wooden“ Have a nice weekend

Juliana said...

Wow...Coromandel screen of yours is very heavy. I believe that :D But nice...

Mine in here Have a nice weekend

Katney said...

That is a beautiful screen.

YTSL said...

Hi Carver --

Wow, very Asian -- not just wooden -- themed on your part this week! ;b

Chris said...

Brilliant pictures this week, Carver, both subjects favourites of mine.

Buddha is such a happy chappie; I've got a stone image of him in my garden looking at me looking out.

I am very envious of your screen. Haver always wanted one like that but,as they are very expensive, have never acquired one.

Love, Chris

Anonymous said...

I like the smile of the buddha too. All the buddhas that I've encountered are ceramic or ivory.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

That was a fabulous presentation and good shots, Carver! Thanks for dropping by and have a great weekend!

jams o donnell said...

What a beautiful screen. I would love to have one as wwonderful as your one. A really nice take on this week's theme. Happy weekend

Smalltown RN said...

Oh that screen is fabulous....I love all the detail...thankyou so much for shaing that with us...

Harajuku PearL said...

wow...i really love the screen!!!! Yes, I'm sure it must be very heavy. Unfortunately our apartment is super small and we couldnt afford the space :(
That laughing Buddha is sure happy!

Have a good weekend ahead!

Pearl

Unknown said...

ahh cute cute buddha =D

Anonymous said...

a veru cute smile from buddha :D

Gran said...

A very beautiful and I'm sure treasured wooden screen. I love the details and story in the screen.

My Wooden is here:
http://thelifeandtimesofgran.blogspot.com/2008/02/photo-hunters-wooden.html

Carver said...

Thanks so much to everyone for visiting. I think that the wooden theme is my favorite so far. I've enjoyed seeing everyone's wooden post. Have a great weekend.

Cindy said...

That screen is exquisite! I like the side you have facing toward the wall the best. I've never seen one of these before- beautiful!

Rajson said...

Oh that wooden screen is very beatiful!I love the details, I stopp for long time and admired!
Happy weekend!

marcia@joyismygoal said...

Ohh nice My dad had a lot of Asian influence in his home so I am thinking of him now Thanks:>

Anonymous said...

Greet collections of wooden stuff. Lovely shots!!!

JesieBlogJourney said...

It's amazing what we can do from wood. You have beautiful collections.

My wooden is also published.

Anonymous said...

I like the buddha - but that screen is wonderful!! Great wooden post! :)
Have a good weekend Carver!

Write From Karen said...

Wow, that is quite a process! And I bet that screen IS heavy. The detailing is amazing. Isn't it funny how you can get so used to seeing something one way until you're forced to look at it from another angle? That happens to me all the time. I think that's one reason why I adore photography so much.

Write From Karen

Utah Mommy said...

Cool! I love all the photos you got here, great job in taking all these pretty photos. Have a great weekend!
MY LIFE MY WORLD
SWEET PARADISE

Anonymous said...

I grew up with a lot of Buddha's in my house, but have none now, yours is cute! Happy hunting.

SabineM said...

I love the Laughing Buddha! I actually love Buddhas all different forms. I have a little collections of statues!
Lovely photos Carver!

PowersTwinB said...

Fabulous and perfect for this weeks theme! What a lovely screen! Thanks for visiting my hunt sweeetie, I always appreciate your visits

Anonymous said...

I have a Buddha just like that from one of the children I taught so it is special to me.
Sara from farmingfriends

Carin said...

Never saw such a buddha! Thanks for sharing. Great entry for the wooden theme.

Have a nice Sunday!

Anonymous said...

Great choices! We also have those screens, one standing up like yours and the other set is a wall ornament. Both have the 4 seasons designs. Yours are beautiful.

Happy weekend.

Anonymous said...

I like the laughing buddha, we have the ceramic buddha, the usual one with kids around him. Happy weekend.

maryt/theteach said...

Carver, an absolutely beautiful screen! I love it! I have a lot of Chinese things in my living room and I'd love your screen...:D Happy PH!

Anonymous said...

I love the little Buddha, he's wonderful. I've never seen one with such an expression. The screen is superb and if ever you were getting rid of it ..... :)

rdl said...

Very nice wooden objects!

Carver said...

Thanks again to everyone for visiting my photohunt post and for your comments.

Anonymous said...

Great photos for the theme! Mine is lame this week d/t illness! Hope all is well...

Unknown said...

Those are beautiful wooden stuff!

Unknown said...

Your screen is gorgeous, Carver. What a treasure.

**"Liza"** said...

love that laughing buddha and the wooden screen is really pretty.wonderful entry for this week theme.Have a great weekend..;)

My so called life
Life's Impression

Anonymous said...

That screen is simply spectacular. Maybe someday you could find a way to position in such a way as to enjoy both sides. A room divider perhaps?

Tokenhippygirl said...

That wooden buddha makes me smile just looking at it. Happy hunting!

Patricia said...

Wow, that is quite a treasure, Carver. Very beautiful and interesting post. Hope your weekend is wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Love the wooden Buddha (= Other shots are equally amazing. Have fun (=

Mimi Lenox said...

Beautiful collection, Carver. Very impressive. I stopped by to tell you that....

Your message bottle is now afloat in the vast blogosphere ocean. You are Message In a Bottle #4.
Feel free to toss in a bottle whenever you feel the urge to send a message. The blocean is always open.
Message In a Bottle #4

Anonymous said...

nice!
come and visit mine too
My wooden House
Wooden post

ian said...

that's a great set of screens, no matter what side you choose to display =] thanks for sharing this one =]

Carver said...

Thanks so much to everyone for visiting and commenting. Have a great week.

Anonymous said...

Love the wooden budha! Have a great weekend.

Barbara said...

What a beautiful screen with the intricate carvings. A good choice for wooden.

Anonymous said...

that is a gorgeous screen. I can visualize myself on a sick day (now why would I think of that??) being amused looking at all of the exquisite details.

Carver said...

Thanks so much to everyone for visiting and commenting.

Dragonstar said...

That's such a beautiful screen, so delicately decorated! And your laughing Buddha is great fun.

Weird Dan said...

The carvings.. are indeed nice. Good shots....