Help with Pedestal and Finial

[Steve Doerr]

Asking for some design help on the pedestal and finial that I have on this HF.

Part 1--I'm not happy with the pedestal: 1) I don't like the little bulge that I put in the stem, 2) Should it be taller? and 3) How thin should be stem be and still provide the stability for showing in a gallery?

Part 2--What are your thoughts on the finial? 1) Is the base too wide? 2)Should the coved area be narrower?

Any other thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Steve

IMG_6494.jpg

[Dennis Ford]

This is a nice piece as is. I really like the shape of the main form, the wood and the dye brought out the figure nicely.

"Part 1--I'm not happy with the pedestal: 1) I don't like the little bulge that I put in the stem, 2) Should it be taller? and 3) How thin should be stem be and still provide the stability for showing in a gallery?"
I agree that the bulge does not fit, consider make this into a shallow cove that extends from the base to the underside of the pedestal top.
The height seems fine to me as is, I would not go taller but might consider shorter.
The pedestal could probably half this thick before appearing too fragile IMO. The top and bottom of the pedestal have a little too much mass in my opinion, the diameter is OK but I would prefer a lighter look.

"Part 2--What are your thoughts on the finial? 1) Is the base too wide? 2)Should the coved area be narrower?"
A smaller diameter base would work well if the opening will allow that, if not perhaps you can reduce the mass of this one. The coved area could be much narrower and the angle of the base could be reduced to more closely match the top of main form.

The Hollow Form is really nice, great wood that you enhanced with the dye job. This photo is perfect for showing the proportions of the piece but an additional view of the top would show off the wood and dye work.

[Harry Robinette]

Steve
I would thin down the pedestal and thin the point from the pedestal to the form make it blend more evenly. I think the finial could use a thinning from it's base up to the fine thin top.

[James Combs]

I like it as is, too many times we try to be too much like someone else. Just my 2 cents.

[Steve Doerr]

Thanks for the input on both the pedestal and the finial. I am taking the information (along with the golden ratio) and going back to the drawing board to work on the proportions. I should be able to reduce the diameter of the base of the finial and still cover the opening. The diameter of the top of the pedestal is pretty much fixed as it just covers the foot of the HF.

I purposely did not try and get a good picture of the HF because I wanted to focus on the finial and pedestal. Once I get the new pieces done I'll repost pictures that will give a better view of the HF and its coloring.

[Thom Sturgill]

Steve, some good points made here. You need to make the curve for the base and finial blend in a little more and the base should get thinner. What wood are you using? Ebony can make a very thin stem and still retain quite a bit of strength. Make sure the grin is straight on the stem. A grain the exits the side of the stem is asking for breakage.

Overall a nice piece and I'm not sure the HF needs a raised base.