Tag Archives: Commissioned Art

Rocky Mountain High – Again

Aspen Colorado Bound

It was about one year ago this week that Peyton and I were in Aspen Colorado, one of our favorite towns to hang out in. I had the great pleasure to deliver this Commissioned Flute to one of my favorite people who works and lives in the Aspen area. In fact this is one of two flutes that I made for customers in Aspen that we delivered during our visit just a year ago.

Crafted from Alaskan Yellow Cedar this flute featured Sapodilla Totem Rails and a Mustang fetish also crafted from a piece of Sapodilla. For this project I crafted a handmade cabochon made from a remnant piece of Catlinite (Sacred Pipestone) that came from a pipe project I had been working on. Hand shaped and finished to a statin sheen this stone was finally bezel set in Sterling Silver and then inlaid into the body of the flute.

The stands are both functional and simplistic in design. For this project these stand cradles were also made from Alaskan Yellow Cedar. The bottom of each stand has a felt pad to protect stand and surface they are set on and the cradle area also has felt padding to help protect the flute itself. These are very cool little stands that you can set on any surface for display without having to do any mounting.

This was a beautiful sounding flute tuned in the key of D# because of its larger bore. The long aesthetics of my hand crafted flute designs make for wonderful functional art displays while also possessing the soft wonderful voice that an Alaskan Yellow Cedar crafted flute delivers. The owner of this new flute now has it mounted in a place of honor in his home and is one of our favorite people to visit when we travel to this part of Colorado.

Yes, Aspen Colorado holds a special place in our hearts and we always enjoy our time there. As we get ready to travel this weekend we are looking forward to some awesome Fall weather and of coarse, a few places to eat or two….

Personal Pipe Commission

Payson Arizona Pipe Commission Ships

This is a nice little pipe just finished and shipped out to it’s new home in Payson Arizona. There is a lovely story behind this pipe design but because of it’s personal nature lets just say it was for a special occasion. This pipe’s new owner is a wonderful lady that resides in Payson Arizona with her husband among the big blue skies that are found just below the Mogollon Rim.

Hand crafted from a piece of Catlinite (Sacred Pipestone) this pipe is smaller in stature with a woman’s hand in mind. The stem is crafted from Alaskan Yellow Cedar and feature hand cut Bison Lace with glass Crow Beads. The stands also crafted from Alaskan Yellow Cedar are of a new design that helps lift the art piece up off the surface for a simplistic display.

The stands have felt pads on the bottom feet to protect any surface and felt pads in the cradle of each stand to help protect the pipe and stem. Because this pipe was crafted for a women I chose to use lighter wood colors for the pipe stem and the stands and I believe it gives the project an overall feminine feel. It was an honor to have been selected as the artist to craft this pipe

Orange Alaskan Cedar Flute Headed to Texas

Just finished this Orange Acrylic painted flute hand crafted from Alaskan Yellow Cedar.  Tuned to the Key of F# @440 Hz this flute has a wonderful tone.

Maple Totem rails and my whimsical Mustang Fetish crafted from a piece of Port Orford Cedar.  Black Wyoming Black hand cut Bison lace and shipped in it’s protective bag.  All in all a really nice flute project!

Orange is the Color

Earlier this year I started on a new journey of flute making. For so many years I have focused on the aesthetics of the natural wood and how it finishes as God’s eye intended. To this day most of the flutes I craft are in this vein.

Last September I decided built a flute for the 2018 Western Design Conference held each year in Jackson Hole Wyoming that was different than I had done in past shows. This flute was the first flute I painted a color and in this case I chose high gloss black. I loved it so much I decided to build another one just like it only with a 7/8″ bore flute while this one featured a 1″ bore.

Black Flute Sound Sample

Flutes like the one shown here have a lot of man hours in them and thus typically a much higher price point. This flute found a home in Nashville Tennessee early this summer. I have since built several others one in Red and another in Gun Metal Blue. But the flute I am working on now shown at the top of this post is for a customer in Texas who was a Texas Longhorn fan. However the color this time for me was inspired by a 1972 Orange and White Chevy pickup truck.

Big Red Sound Sample

This new orange flute features the same design as the others in that the totem rails are crafted from Maple and the whimsical mustang fetish is crafted of either Maple or Port Orford Cedar. The flute itself is made from Old Growth Alaskan Yellow Cedar which produces a very nice sounding flute. Listen to the samples of the others provided and here how nice these flutes sound. The 7/8″ bore makes this a very nice sized flute in your hands.

My goal with these new flutes is to make available a very nice flute at a price point that is affordable and yet a bit different. Of coarse we can bling them up but I think this new line of flutes offers something most artists seek and that is “Simple Elegance”

Another Black Flute

I have started shaping a new flute crafted from Old Growth Alaskan Yellow Cedar that will be painted Acrylic Black just like the image in the header of this post.  This flute however will be about 22 inches in length and because of it’s 7/8″ bore it will more than likely be in the F or G range.

The Totem will be a Mustang and the Totem Rails will be crafted from American Maple  just like it’s big brother.  This Alaskan Yellow Cedar flute like the Big Red one finished earlier this year will be a sister flute to it.  All of my painted flutes are finished on the inside as the outside so that there is consistency throughout.

Price point for this finished flute will be the same as the red flute at $285.00 plus shipping.  If you have interest in this flute call or Text (307) 690-0427 or email me @ sales@jacksonholetim.com.

Port Orford Cedar with Sapodilla Totem Rail

From time to time I come across a flute project I did for someone else and as I look back on it I get excited about how the flute came out.  One of my favorite woods to work with is Port Orford Cedar which is not easy to get anymore.  But I do have some stashed away for special occasions.

This flute was made for a client in the Cave Creek Arizona area and I really liked how it turned out.  The customer wanted to have a flute that voiced an “A” @ 440Hz.  As most of you know I live in the Yellowstone Basin here in Wyoming so our altitude and weather patterns are quite a bit different than the desert region of Arizona.  Building a flute in Wyoming and shipping to Arizona and hitting the mark for tuning is always a challenge.  All in all I think I was able to get pretty close.

What I like about this flute is the simple elegance it embraced and the mix of the Sapodilla Totem Rails, Cutting Edge inlay and the Maple Mustang fetish it was a really eye appealing flute when finished.  Easy to play and sounded wonderful.  We recorded the sound clip here in Wyoming after it was finished so check out the voice of this flute in the clip below.

Commissioned projects are always fun yet stressful to do.  This flute project was one I really enjoyed.  I would love to work on another project like this one again for a new customer.  Maybe that customer is you?  Let me know what you think of this flute in the comments below.  If you would like to explore a flute for you similar reach out to me.

Port Orford Cedar Native American Style Flute Tuned to A @440Hz

Port Orford Cedar A @440Hz Sound Clip

Under Construction Page Update…

wyomingfirst_profileToday I added updates on 3 new flutes that have been started.  View new pictures to our Under Construction Page.  One is a Commissioned piece and the other two are currently available.  There is time to add custom touches to them if you are interested.  For those interested in following what I am up to our Under Construction page is a good place to check out.  Everything you find on this page that is not available can be commissioned.  Check out the latest update and follow the journey of one of my newly Commissioned Art pieces…

Buffalo Themed Flute Sound Clip Added…

NEW SOUND CLIP

wdc_tatanaaxdog_sm_1We just added a new sound clip to this AWARD Winning flute titled “Ta Tanga Ax Dog” (Runs With Buffalo).  This flute was completed for the Western Design Conference two years ago and I have kept this flute since then as it took First Place in Accents that Fall.

This flute is now available for purchase or I can build one similar on a Commission Basis.  I absolutely Love like this flute but we can make it your own by adding your vision to the project.  Let me hear from you if you like how it sounds … or not…

Listen to Sound Sample from this flute

This flute design is available for Commission so if you have interest please reach out to me at timjen333@gmail.com” or call (307) 690-0427.