Jezreel IV

It only took six months...
Granted I learned how to woodcarve, sharpen chisels, tap/die, and a million other things, so think the time was proved necessary.
I was rolling off of Jezreel III initially...

It started at a slab of soft maple that went through the bandsaw, then router (first time!), angle grinder with wood attachment, and finally chisels.

It was going for more of a gilt/bejeweled vibe first. There were several issues with this. I was having a hard time finding places on the gun to put all these different components of gold and black and red. Traditional relics have almost a cannon of material and application that I had neither the ability, desire, or wealth to recreate. So when I tried, it looked inexperienced, lazy, and cheap.

I needed some other way of showing the idea of a sacred artifact (staying within Christian history). I love black- or white-washing things to bring out texture and shape, so when I saw this, my jaw hit the floor. Beautifully contrasting Gothic carved ivory boxes.

The black iron adds visual weight to the soft white, and it still retains a religious feel. So I covered over the gold leaf and black paint, added metal in strategic places, and coated everything in white with dust from our limestone projects.\

I have to say, too, that I'm real proud of that movable bolt-action component...

Le finished product..

("Emmanuel"...)