In May of this year we began to extend our orchid collection of cabinet pulls to include corner pieces and taller vertically positioned pulls and these can be seen in an earlier post. These earlier pieces work well as cabinet pulls and for interior doors but for an entry door we felt their scale was too petite and so began designs for a new door pull that would be substantial enough both physically and aesthetically for larger and heavier entry doors.
We wanted to continue the orchid collection using the same type of orchid bud but designed 2 leaf components for strength and also for style. The leaves are a departure from our other orchid designs and their fleshy appearance and channeled surfaces will provide a finishing point on the door face.
Carved in basswood, Martin sculpted a total of 5 orchid parts as patterns for his latex molds. The flower bud was carved in 2 parts, one part for the petals and one for the stamen. The petals and stamens will be cast separately and only later will they attached when the bronze castings are eventually welded together as a sculptural orchid handle.
The images shown here are scans of drawings from Martin’s sketch book which he keeps on hand at home to jot down ideas as they develop. By drawing a front and profile view Martin is able to plan how to deconstruct the design so that each section can be finely carved and so that each pattern can be easily molded with well positioned gates. The location of the gates will be critical if the wax is to flow easily without bubbles creating small voids.
