Do finials and pedestals always have to be black?

Yesterday I finished the finial and pedestal (from cherry) for a HF that I had dyed red with black accents. When I put the two pieces on the HF the total package was very striking. My wife, daughter and I all thought it looked realyl great with this wonderful contrast. However, several questions came to mind:

1. Do finials and pedestals really have to be black/dark or is that just a general rule of thumb?
2. Does the lighter color draw your attention away from the HF and thus, the HF is not the central focus of the piece?
3. The finial and pedestal are cherry and will darken a little once finished and will definitely darken with time. Will this cause the lose of appeal of the contrast and thus I might as well just dye them black?

This is what it currently looks like. The HF does not have any finish, other than the dye, on it at this time.

So you now know my dilemma. Any thoughts and/or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Attachment 329620

Steve - there are no set-fast rules about color. You are the creator, stick with what works for you! For a few examples of non-black finials, check out my album.

As far as the wood changing color over time, that is something that should be taken into consideration when finishing a piece. You have a good idea of what aged cherry looks like - it is up to you to figure out if that combination of colors will fit with what you envisioned.

I think it looks great. You don't have to follow the crowd.

Do what is right for you. I bought some Holly for finials.

There is actually a reason that most turners use black for finials and pedestals although I'm not sure I've ever heard it specifically expressed so It might be more intuitive. The thing is, the lighter colored elements do not carry the visual weight of a dark (or black) color.


For the most part, the body of a piece like this needs that visual weight to be perceived as being balanced and stable. The eye and the brain are working together, often unconsciously, trying to resolve the image in some logical way. If the brain senses that the piece is not in harmony, it will not allow the eye any comfort.


Is is sometimes said that something is "easy on the eye". What we are really saying is that it is easy on the brain. The mind does not have to work to convince the eye which is then free to simply take in what it sees.


This is not to say that lighter colored elements should not be considered. It's not a hard and fast rule. But I'm thinking that "rules" are often based on human perception. Some things just feel "right" or look "right" and that evolves into a "rule". Stepping outside the box is always risky so most stay in the comfort zone. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes no so much. You have to decide where you want to go.


BTW, your finial and pedestal are beautifully formed and graceful.

David, I always enjoy ideas on what a design does and how it works. I add that having the bases bigger is a also a way of adding visual gravity and real gravity. I've always thought that many of them would fall and break from a heavy footed guest or child. Whether or not that is true ,I believe people are less likely to buy something that looks overly precarious.

When anyone tells me rules or rules of thumb about what something "should" look like, whether shape or color or thickness or anything, I nod and smile and quit listening. I make finials from holly to bloodwood to dogwood to ebony. I personally love the contrast between light and dark. I also like to use woods where the colors complement each other. For example, I love the look of dogwood with bloodwood. Green argentine lignum vitae next to orange/black cocobolo would probably look horrible to me. But remember, all this is Art and what is great for one is awful for another! I think we should each what pleases ourselves.

For ornaments, sometimes I will make several different finials and just try them together. I have a small box of "spare" finials for this. BTW, I personally don't dye wood but prefer the natural color.

To me, juxtaposed woods that are too much alike regardless of color results in low contrast and muddle the whole piece. Try loading a photo into an image processing program and change it to grey scale - does it still look good?

If you want comments on the piece, mine is: Your finial and h.form look great from the photo. To me the pedestal looks a bit thin and makes the combination look a little unbalanced, but that is just my opinion. (Also, the finial and pedestal look different colors in the photo but my guess is that is just the lighting, with the finial picking up color from the HF.)

JKJ

As they say in the fashion design world - "Black is elegant and chic; black is slimming; black looks good on all skin tones; black looks good with all hair colors....." In short, black goes with anything and one does not need to worry about other elements changing hues, etc., as the piece ages. Even holly, which I use nearly all the time, will turn over the years and isn't truly white when freshly finished. I lacquer it black.

When turners like DeCristoforo and Keeton advise on finials.......if you know their work, then the weight of their advice should be seriously considered.......just sayin'! ;)

I have made a number of finials.....some after the Drozda style, which are beautiful, but some with other elements that I have seen.......I have found also that black seems to compliment any wood, and most people who have looked at some of my finials in the two galleries I am in, seem to do a lot of oooohing and aaahing.........for whatever that is worth? :rolleyes:

Steve.......that is a particularly beautiful turning you have there....elegance in both the pedestal and finial.....BRAVO!!!

Steve,
For a change of pace I sometimes turn Acrylic as a finial as shown below. It seems to add something on some hollow forms like the burled Maple HF. The contrast that black gives is rich looking, but any color can be striking and everything is acceptable if it is pleasing to the eye.

Thanks everyone for your excellent comments and your thought provoking input. It is really greatly appreciated. My initial though was to go with black, but I did like the impact the contrast presented when I put it all together. As most of you indicated black is definitely the color that is used most because it does complement any color that it is put with. David, I really appreciated your comments and must say that they are right on and very helpful.

Thus, needless to say, I'm going to dye them black. Once I get the finish on the HF and on the finial and pedestal I take a much better picture and post it for all to see.

Thanks again,
Steve

I think that Henry Ford said "You can have a car any color your like as long as it is black", but that was back a few years. I don't think he addressed finials or pedestals, and you should be able to do what makes you happy. Contrast color is more normal presentation and helps to signify that different material is used and not a single piece of wood.

David D., very thoughtful post.