Paso Robles Tree Inspiration

We recently escaped the urban scene of Los Angeles and took a brief camping trip into the rolling hills of Paso Robles. As many know, this area is a frequent haunt for Martin Pierce  and was the inspiration for his collection of wine cellar door handles and vine cabinet pulls.
For this visit we decided to camp and pitched our tent in the undeveloped acreage of  absentee friends who wisely were escaping the heat. The experience was challenging with  temperatures ranging from 101 degrees during the day to an almost bearable 80° at night. When the heat proved too much we drove to Cambria where the marine fog engulfed the coastline creating a chilly 70° temperature. The fog plays a critical role in the surrounding foliage bringing moisture to the trees and grasses of Paso Robles 30 miles in land.
Lichen on the local live oak trees plays a key role in this ecosystem providing food, shelter and nesting materials to deer, mice, squirrels and other mammals. Lichens are not, as I mistakenly thought, a type of plant but rather a remarkable organism made of algae and fungus that obtain all their nutrients from the air rather than soil. The fungal aspect of this organism provides a structure for the algae and the algae provides food for the fungus. Like plants, lichens use the sun through a process of photosynthesis to convert the food to energy in return giving back valuable oxygen. Lichen also removes pollutants in the air by trapping larger particles and absorbing smaller particles of nitrogen and sulfur.

Our mornings often began with the sounds of Nuttall woodpeckers tapping tree trunks to find grubs as well as suitable larders for acorns harvested from the live oaks. A more generic woodpecker was the model for our woodpecker door knocker that also functions as a door pull.

Playful Positioning of A Woodpecker Door Knocker

The bark of the live oaks has a beautiful texture and their inspiration is clear to see in the backplates and escutcheons of the lizard collection of door handles.

Playful Positioning of A Lizard Entry Lever

Bird inspired door handles

Even a modest garden can provide an abundance of stimulus for the patient artist. An avid bird watcher knows that patience and stillness are the main requirements for successfully observing and photographing these garden gems. But even stillness may not be enough to take a snapshot  of nesting Bewick wrens who are on their guard for anything suspicious. To take this shot, Martin Pierce had to hold his iPhone to the side of his head and avert his eyes from the subject.

Photograph by Martin Pierce

A long 400mm lens is also useful and allowed Martin to capture this from a safe distance.

Photograph by Martin Pierce

The bird house was made by Martin 10 years ago, but this is the first time Bewick wrens have turned it into a nest. Possibly the dilapidated nature of the box and debris of leaves and spiders’ webs were exactly the type of décor needed to make a less conspicuous  home. As Bewick wrens typically mate for life and return to the same nesting ground Martin is hoping to see the generations that may follow.

While observing and photographing birds is undoubtedly a rewarding past time, they are for Martin an endless source of inspiration.

When I looked back at some of Martin’s old sketch books it came as no surprise to find these quick sketches.

Living in the Hollywood Hills we  often see red tail hawks who prey on rodents and lizards which are abundant. The image below shows a red tail hawk carrying a squirrel in its talons and being pestered by a crow.

Date of Original Sketch 1990’s

Here crows are shown in flight and again mobbing  a red tail hawk.

Date of Original sketch 1990’s

 Bulbuls that are not native to California can now be seen on a regular basis in Hollywood and Martin’s patience paid off recently when he was able to catch this shot.

Photograph by Martin Pierce

While I have not seen any recent additions to his current sketch book he has divulged that a bird may soon make it to his drawing board as a model for a new Netsuke door knob. That said, the blue jay may also be a contender albeit the scale will have to be significantly reduced from the current large door pull.

A new sculpture compliments Martin Pierce's original door hardware

To date Martin Pierce’s collection of fictional insects and entomophile humanoids sculptures has introduced us to stag beetles, wasp, hornets, and Jay birds, today we introduce the dung beetle.

Edition Size 30 Dimensions 10 1/2”W x 6”D x 9”H Price $ 2,600

The piece has moved from pattern and mold making to bronze and to a discussion of appropriate patinas and new pieces that will be associated with the dung beetle. The story line is developing to include family members and to a fictional portrayal  of this scarabs dung dwelling. Artistic license is playing a  role, so Martin is giving all adults horns even though in reality this attribute varies between species. The dung beetle is a semi-fossorial animal meaning it is a creature that has developed the skills and anatomy to dig and live some of its time underground. Consequently, the beetle has a strong compact body, bulldozer shaped head and 2 stout tooth like front digging legs for burrowing into dung. The remaining 4 legs are longer, more segmented and end in a serrated saw-like claw. This complicated organism is extremely dexterous and able to coordinate all 6 legs to walk, to  create a dung ball then manipulate and roll  the ball backwards and even bury the ball for offspring in the case of a brood ball. If that is not it enough, consider that it can also fly and that below the polished smooth wing casings are 2 powerful wings that can lift this small but heavy creature taking it to new feeding grounds.

Edition Size 30 Dimensions 10 1/2”W x 6”D x 9”H Price $ 2,600

In Martin’s fictional world the dung beetle co-exists with humanoids and when not caring for his family members helps till the soil and aerate the fields for seasonal crops for humans. The 2 species also collaborate in the annual insect race where humanoids act as riders and navigators to steer the backward moving beetle to the finish line. These scenes as well as other family members are hopefully going to take shape in sculpture and paintings over the next few years.

Developing an Art Collection

Developing an Art Collection  - The Land of Giant Insects

In 1999 Martin Pierce began a journey into bronze casting with 8 collections of door hardware and cabinet pulls. Forward to 2022 where the road has forked, and a wide tributary is winding its way to a collection of art sculptures.

Martin Pierce and his first collection have just been featured on Artsy Shark, a site that  helps  promote artists and their work. While the fictional story behind  this collection is ongoing, we thought it timely to begin telling the tale and  by explaining the fictional landscape and it’s characters.

A Tale of Giants and Insectophile Humans  -

In today’s world, insects and birds lack the social and environmental importance they deserve. Humans in this world dominate the planet and their demands are contrary to the well-being of other species. In the new and  fictional world, Martin Pierce, through sculpture and painting reverses the relative size of humans to insects with the former becoming diminutive and the latter becoming giants. The fictional scale also gives rise to a new relationship and the adversarial human is reinvented as an insect loving humanoid. While the relationship between these 2 species continues to evolve it is built on an agrarian lifestyle where humanoids and insects farm together and jointly partake in the fruits of their labors.

Landscape

The landscape is one of mangroves, yuccas, and bougainvillea with swaths of land cleared for farming. The topography is varied with craggy cliffs and rolling hills and lower lying valleys and swamps.

Characters

Grasshopper – resting on a mushroom and casting his stupendous shadow over the humanoid hiding in the mushrooms spongy fold. Both characters make their appearance in annual sporting events.

10”W x 9”D x 14”H

Stag Beetle – at least 2 varieties exist, the shiny suave steely and darker mottled bronze.  They too compete in annual events but also play a key role as farmers  tilling the soil ready for planting. The stag beetle makes his sculptural appearance as a runner sometimes accompanied by a humanoid rider and as one of 2 adversarial beetles sparring on a piece of oak bark.

20”W x 15”D x 6”H

Hornet – shown feeding on a large apple with an irritating humanoid for company

13”W x 10”D x 13”H

Wasp – portrayed as a solo runner or accompanied by a humanoid rider

11”W x 8”D x 6”H

Jay – flying toward the east or toward the west

17”W x 12”D x 4”H

Dung beetle and Raven – following soon

Scaly breasted munia and Bulbul Sightings Hollywood Hills

In April 2020 we posted our sightings of the Black crested Red-whiskered Bulbul in our garden and this wonderful bird continues to flourish. To our delight this year flowers from our guava tree have been feeding a couple as they build a nest in a fellow birder neighbors tree. One of the few upsides to the pandemic was the time we and other neighbors compared sightings and notes on birds in our Hollywood Hills neighborhood and thanks to one neighbor we have now spotted the Scaly-breasted Munia. The Munia also known as the Spice Finch or Nutmeg Mannikin is a pretty chestnut colored bird with scale like breast feathers and is a gregarious one that tends to be seen in small groups. While we have not noticed this bird until now, it is a well-established non-indigenous species that thrives in sufficient numbers as to be counted on the California State Bird’s List.
As can be seen from the photos here, the Munia is more than happy to eat seeds from a bird feeder and the seed level drops significantly when the flock stop by.

Animal themed door or grand cabinet handle

When we replaced our water starved grass garden with drought resistant vegetation we were concerned that this would reduce the birds who frequent it but the contrary has proven true.
Our prolific honeysuckle and Kangaroo paw plant attracts countless Rufus and Anna Hummingbirds and the magnificent flower of our variegated Agaves attract yellow rumped warblers.
While not as striking in color, our feathered double headed bird door pull does possess drama and texture and is a central piece in our cabinet hardware collection.

Seagulls and Bears – unusual Hollywood neighbors

Unlike much of the country winter in Hollywood is usually warm and sunny making it a good time to enjoy a long walk to the historical Lake Hollywood aka the Mulholland dam.

Spending more time at my home-office I have become aware of the variety of birds who visit ranging from the melodious bulbuls and song sparrows to the deep throated sonorous crows and ravens. While seagulls may not be gifted with such distinctive voices, they make up for this with their sheer numbers and easy to follow daily trajectory to the small lake nestled below the Hollywood sign.

Hundreds of Seagulls resting in the morning sun on Lake Hollywood

The Mulholland Dam was constructed as a reservoir in the 1920’s and was named after the historical legend who is associated with its beleaguered history. The dam was almost identical in design to the St. Francis dam that sadly collapsed and killed hundreds of residents in the area we now know as Valencia or Santa Clarita. The St. Francis tragedy caused a public outcry and demands that the new dam be scrapped. As an alternative the water level of the dam was permanently limited to well below design capacity and the area south of the buttress was backfilled with vast amounts of soil and vegetation that now conceal the damns presence. The result over 90 years later is that dam no longer functions as a reservoir but as a lake that is home to thousands of seagulls and other water birds. The area south of the lake has beautifully matured with native shrubs and tall pines all guarded by a row of bear gargoyles in honor of our state residents.

 To see examples of how birds inspire our work.

Swallow cabinet pull

https://www.martinpierce.com/unusual-cabinet-pulls-insect-collection

To read more about the history of Lake Hollywood please visit:

https://la.curbed.com/2019/2/5/17434640/william-mulholland-dam-collapse-water-los-angeles-history

https://waterandpower.org/museum/Mulholland_Dam_and_Hollywood_Reservoir.html

Nesting Birds and Their Noisy Ways

While our lives may have been disrupted by the corona virus, this has not impacted our local bird life and our neighborhood is very much alive with the sounds of squabbling and aggressive birds. Mockingbirds have made a nest in the bougainvillea bush in our neighbors garden and the parents are feeding their young with petals from our guava tree and battling and haranguing any potential predators that come too close to their young chicks. The predators who pose a threat include squirrels and cats who despite their claws and size are no match for the mockingbird bombers who dive and peck them ceaselessly.

Alert Parent of young Mocking Bird chicks on guard for predators

These admirable parenting qualities are not limited to the mocking birds and a pair of scrub jays, thankfully nesting in a different tree, spend large amounts of time battling and diving at crows, ravens and the occasional Cooper’s hawk who are local habitants of the Hollywood Hills.
We have lived in the hills for many years but never grow tired of the local bird population which continues to inspire our work. What is still remarkable is the incredible variety of bird life that we see and hear, and which vary with the season’s migratory paths. The beautiful oriels with their orange chests have arrived as have the rufous hummingbirds and both compete for the sugary solution of our bird feeder. To accommodate the oriels larger and wider beak we have removed some of the artificial flowers on the feeder which occasionally results in the odd bee finding its way inside.

Juvenile Mocking Bird Learning the Value of Guava Flowers

If you are searching for an unusual bird cabinet pull or possible a jay door handle then you may want to visit these pages on our site.

Black Crested Red Whiskered Bulbul

With more time to walk we are able to see more Bulbuls in the Hollywood hills and have managed to photograph several.
We first encountered this petite bird with colorful markings in the 1990’s at the Huntington gardens and felt quite privileged to site this bird that we have always associated with Asia and tropical environments. What we hadn’t realized was that the Bulbul was a common resident of the park in the 1970’s and 80’s and was on the A list as a non-indigenous species and destined for eradication. Thankfully sufficient public and birder opposition resulted in the suspension of this policy and now we enjoy this cheery musical creature in our own neighborhood.

I had a great deal of fun reading about the bird’s diet and habitat on Wikipedia and as a result know this passerine bird to be a fugivore. For those unfamiliar with these terms they simply mean that this is a bird that likes to perch and lives on a fruit diet. As a frugivore it makes sense that the Bulbul now thrives in Florida and southern California where fruit is abundant.
While the Bulbul is named for its small red-whiskers the males back crest and red abdominal feathers are much easier to spot as can be seen here. Like all passerines the Bulbul has three toes that point forward and one pointing back which makes perching an easy task.
If you are looking for a less flighty bird and one that you would like to use as a cabinet pull then consider the swallow pull or if you are searching for a wall statement check out our bronze jay bird.

To read more about the Bulbul’s near eradication please the article by Mary Barker


For those seeking to improve their ornithological knowledge or looking for words for Scrabble Wikipedia is great resource.

Swallow Cabinet Pulls

The Barn swallow is the most widespread species of swallow and one we should be seeing soon in Los Angeles as they migrate north from South America. In the summer months Barn swallows can be seen in England when they make the long journey from sub saharan Africa. While the tail lengths and tail symmetry may vary slightly between these 2 types of Barn swallow, they share the same distinctive forked tail and body shape. The Barn swallow is insectivorous consuming insects on the wing as it flies in a darting agile manner scooping up bugs in its pathway. Growing up in England and then migrating to Los Angles has given us the opportunity to see both varieties of Barn swallow.

The swallow was, not surprisingly, the inspiration for Martin’s first bird pull created over 18 years ago and with it he sought to capture the grace and agility of its flying technique.
After making the swallow pull Martin was commissioned to make an original toy chest and was able to integrate the swallow both as a painted bird and sculpture in a scene of 4 swirling swallows.
The toy chest was made from cherry wood and the 3 painted swallows were created using the Japanning technique to create a slightly raised body in casein which was then gilt with white gold and colored with translucent pigmented glazes.

Toy Chest Detail

The swallow pull is one of our most popular cabinet pulls and we are currently completing an order for a flock of 9 birds. To accentuate the wing and tail feathers we applied a more concentrated patina to the body and head of the swallow but burnished the feathers making them brighter in contrast.

White Raven Sculpture In Progress

The White Raven was not the intended title of this post but as an avid viewer of Game of Thrones my ears pricked up when replaying part of season 6 and hearing Sansa tell  Jon that a white raven had arrived from the Citadel. In the fictional world of the Citadel, white ravens are purported to be a different more intelligent  species to their black corvid cousins hence their fictional black eyes. In reality as author Carrie D. Miller explains, white ravens have leucism which is a condition that reduces the pigment in their eyes and feathers  resulting in  cream colored rather than  white feathers and  and  blue rather than black eyes. 

When looking for details about white ravens I came across some wonderful photographs taken by Mike Yip and posted on Carrie D. Millers site. You can see more beautiful photographs of ravens and other bird species on the site administered by Mike Yip www.vancouverislandbirds.com

Photograph Courtesy of Mike Yip

 Living in the hills of Hollywood we have the good fortune to see families of ravens on an almost daily basis but only once have we seen a white raven. I can attest that he/she looked perfectly healthy and happy in the presence of his/her darker siblings. The white raven, was as Ms. Miller correctly states more cream and beige in color than white.

 The sculpture was finished at the same time we saw the rerun of this series and so we decided to make a small video showing the piece in white basswood. To preserve the wood as well create a surface that will release more easily from the  rubber mold we have now finished the Raven with a water based varnish. Martin will next  begin making molds so that we can get one step closer to creating this piece in  bronze.

Carving made easy - Raven sculpture video

The title of this post is very much tongue in cheek as this observer and videographer can attest. I have in recent years carved the occasional textural detail on furniture pieces that our company makes but confess that these were mere chips of wood removed with minimal precision to create an interesting tactile surface and not an example of fine wood carving.

For the carvers who may be reading this the major shaping and removal of large areas of wood was done with either a large flat gouge or a flat pairing chisel. The large feathers were carved with a “V” tool and pairing chisel. The small feathers were created with various different shaped gouges which were pushed down into the wood and around the edge of the feather to create a vertical wall and small pairing chisels were then used to remove the tops of the abutting feather to create a step. Describing Martin’s carving was far more difficult and far less informative than making and viewing this video.

Other Videos

Traditional artistic methods and 3D printing

One of the advantages to old school artistic methods is that they allow the artist to make more immediate design corrections. While CAD does allow the artist to see his virtual sculpture from a 3D vantage, the same holds true for perspective drawings done free hand with pencil and vellum. No doubt the ease and speed of both methods owes a lot to the different ways our brains are wired and to the different way we learn our artistic skills. While Martin Pierce does use a Wacom tablet with built in mouse, for his initial development drawings he finds he can achieve a faster result by adding and erasing pencil lines.

Plan View of Raven Design

This is the same approach he uses when creating custom door handles and as with sculpture, the grid drawings can be placed on solid wood so that the shape can be traced onto the wood’s surface and then cut out with a band saw. While we could use 3D printing to create the pattern, the speed of printing a quick cast SLA model and the cost makes this approach less attractive. By comparison, once a pattern has been sculpted and the artistic and practical bugs sorted out then 3D printing comes into its own if one wants for example to create a left or right version of a piece. We have occasionally used 3D scanning to scan a pattern and then have created a print file that is a mirror image thus allowing a 3D print to be made. The only drawback to doing this is that you end up with a clone of the original and Martin tends to have a preference for asymmetric designs.

Profile of Raven design

New Raven Sculpture Takes Shape

Following on in the quest for a perfect raven sculpture Martin has drawn his intended subject side on and full scale at 22” from tip of tail to tip of beak.  Using old school techniques to maintain the bird’s proportions he drew the raven on a 1” size grid and then increased the grid to 2” to achieve the correct size. While this could have been done in photo-shop with a grid tool, the size of the piece would have made it cumbersome.

He will now need to draw the front elevation, plan and top view so that he can correctly show the leg stance and wing position and capture the birds pre-flight position with the wings slightly apart.

Finding a captive raven to study for the other elevations has not been easy but we have found 4 ravens who are residents at the Big Bear zoo so will be travelling there soon to get some footage for the next stage.

Martin will be carving the raven in basswood which is a tight grain but relatively soft easy to carve hard wood. At this point he plans to carve the bird as whole sculpture to ensure its correctness from all elevations. Once it looks correct and mindful of the cost of and weight of bronze he will then cut the sculpture down the middle so that he can carve out the center and thus make the sculpture hollow.