We found Dallas Galbraith, metal sculptor from Indiana, at the Ann Arbor Art Fair again this year. His work has always appealed to me, and I found a perfect piece to complement the colors and wood tones in our guest bathroom. At the inception of Marietta Wood Works many years ago in Georgia, I incorporated a Live Oak in my pamphlets and business cards. Dallas said the piece we found could be interpreted as a Live Oak, a Mangrove, or even a Banyan Tree, but since the Live Oak held special meaning for me, that’s what he wrote on the sales receipt!
I hung the Live Oak sculpture in its new home and it was beautiful, but just a bit small for the wall expanse. I brought a photo of the sculpture into SketchUp and designed a twelve-sided frame with copper rays to hang behind the Live Oak. The frame is made of white ash and stained with Minwax Provincial to match the wood cabinetry in the room. To complement the materials in the sculpture, bare copper wire is incorporated in two places around the frame, and as simple rays connecting opposing sides of the frame.
- Live Oak metal sculpture by Dallas Galbraith, approximately 19″ across
- SketchUp design showing the frame and rays behind the metal sculpture
- Small grooves and 1/16″ diameter holes were machined into each of the twelve segments before assembly
- Twelve segments, beveled at 15 degrees on each end, ready for assembly
- Dry fit of the twelve-sided frame
- One of my ancient band clamps worked well to hold the frame while the Titebnd III PVA glue cured overnight
- Minwax Provincial was applied with a 1″ foam brush
- After two coats of spar varnish, the copper wire elements were installed
- Quick clamps provided the extra hands to control the 80″ loops of copper wire around the perimeter of the frame
- Copper wire rays installed and ready to be trimmed
- Two-part epoxy applied to the copper wire on the bottom segment of the frame secures it from coming loose
- Copper wire details
- Completed frame hung behind the Live Oak sculpture