Oceania Scroll Bracelet

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Guys

Well, this is the latest creation from the Biggs engraving room. A Sterling Silver bracelet. Since coming back from Reno I’ve been working on a series of designs trying to incorporate a unique New Zealand Maori element into Western Scroll.

Oceania Scroll perhaps!!!

There are four more bracelet designs with each one trying to incorporate Maori/NZ elements into the theme. Each one becoming more complex. A couple of the designs also incorporate a whole story into them. The process has been a really tricky one insomuch as I’m surrounded by these things everyday but have only ever looked at them and not really taken much notice of the actual structure. So blending the two styles was, and still is, a really challenging exercise.

The double spiral is a very traditional Maori design that features heavily in the wood carvings. I believe it is also fairly wide spread throughout the South Pacific Island. It generally represents chaos. The carved and tattooed head with the tongue poking out is a generic design and fairly typical representation of the ornate wood carvings that can be seen on Maori meeting houses. They can range from almost human like to grotesque. The open small scrolls inside the main scroll is quite deliberate to represent fern leafs and give the whole thing a bit of drama & impact. (well that’s the theory anyway)

Eventually I would like to take it a bit further and incorporate some of the design elements onto a gun. But at this stage the bracelets are small projects that are great to develop the ideas with.

As usual your thoughts, comments and critique are always welcome. Both good and bad.


Cheers
Andrew

 

[richard hall]

and our members think you just sit around and watch the computor in the evenings !!! WOW !! thats a beautiful job Andrew. i dont believe that people realize how much planning it takes before the engraving process can even begin, and you put some thought into this !!!

 

[Ranchman]

Well done Andrew!
You did a fantastic job merging their cultural designs into a flowing scroll. I'll be studying this for a while. Thank you for posting. I can't wait to see what you'll come up with on a firearm.

Regards,

Jeff Graham

 

[ED DELORGE]

Stunning! Shockingly beautiful.

Ed

 

[nomentalgiant]

This is certainly some of the most organized chaos that I've ever seen! Outstanding.

 

[Mike Bissell]

Andrew - Very Nice !!!!!!
It does have that South Pacific flavor.
Nice detail on the Mask.

Mike

 

[McAhron]

Im in love.I adore non traditional engravings.

 

[FANCYGUN]

Hey Andrew
It looks so much better than the rough drawings you sent me a while back. Super job and I love the details in the head.
Now enough playing around and showing off.......get busy fixing that old script font I sent you.

 

[Dennis Sprague]

Andrew
Now that is creative! The design and execution are outstanding.Would it be possible that in another life you were a bench jeweler.As we are sometime known to very twisted minds.Just kidding, really looks great.
Thanks for posting.
Dennis

 

[Sandy]

Andrew,
Is there anything you can't do?!?!

Pam said to say hi and ask how is Mary.

Sandy

 

[sdcoxx]

Andrew,
Wonderful bracelet....
Breath taking....
Thanks,
Stephen

 

[Weldon47]

Excellent, Andrew!!

 

[Lee]

Ah very good Ondroooooo. I really enjoy seeing the different cultures come out in designs and yours is a dandy. I'm working on something from Idaho (you know the first 49 years of my life) but I'm struggling with the idea of potato anything as part of engraving.

 

[Roger Bleile]

Something of Idaho

I'm working on something from Idaho but I'm struggling with the idea of potato anything as part of engraving.

How about carving a nickle with a portrait of the late great Elmer Keith of Salmon, Idaho.

 

[richard hall]

Lee, Roger has a good idea,hope this helps.. When i acquire Andrews talent and skills; ill finally be at a stage in life, that ill sell off my engraving books that i use as a crutch at the moment. i need to spend more time than i have available in this endeavor.

 

[Powderhorn]

Huurruummpphh: We are going to have to watch out for those Kiwi's.
Andrew:
Outstanding job on that, I know that you were saying that you wanted to find a stile of your own, I think that you just nailed it.

 

[Marcus Hunt]

Now you're cooking Andrew! Wow, that scroll is fabulous. Could you tell us how you got the different textures on the mask? I find the grey and texturing really interesting. I keep looking into it and wondering how you achieved it, acid or sand blast?

 

[Phil Coggan]

Very nice Andrew, I like the 'tongue'.

Phil

 

[JJ Roberts]

Andrew...Fantastic job on that bracelet! Very tribal look..guaranteed to ward off evil spirits. Keep up the good work.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Thank you all for your very nice comments. Really appreciated. The bracelet is 25mm X 150mm So the main scroll is pretty big. Now I'd also like to say that John Barraclough has been a really big help with these designs and concepts, especially with encouragement, swapping ideas and critique. He really is an amazing guy!!!

Hi Marcus............ It may be the photo shows it a bit greyer than it really is. It's all just hand cut. Back ground removed with a small flat and stippled. All the shading and facial tatoos are cut with a small 70 degree graver and that's it. I was going to try the English scroll as a tattoo that you showed me last October. I still have the small plate you did and look at it often...........but I thought I had better practice what you showed me first. It's still something I want to experiment with especially inside the main scrolls as it would add to the "fern" look. Give your dad my very best wishes next time you see him.


Hi Lee............. So you are finally learning to speak New Zealandese and pronounce my name correctly Mary sends a big hug to Lisa and says "water"

Hi Sandy.......... How's that wonderful vise you won at Reno??? Mary says a big "gidday" to Pam

Hi Marty.........All right, all right, I'm onto it in the next couple of weeks. I'm still working it out just how to tackle the script.

Hi Phil...........Thanks for that. In Maori culture the poking out of the tounge is very important. It's an act of defiance that can be seen in the Haka but more importantly it's also symbolic of protective magic.


Cheers
Andrew