Barry Lee Hands engraved SR Johnson Dirk

[Barry Lee Hands]

"La daga de oro de Princesa Dulcinea"

A dream in gold and pearl, This is a one of a kind tribute to the legendary object of Don Quixote's love, The Princess Dulcinea.
A 5" Loveless-style Boot Dirk with T-416 bolsters, Mother-of-pearl handles CPM 154-CM blade stock, and a T-416 SS bail, this piece is the second collaboration from Steve Johnson and Barry Lee Hands featuring Barry's new " Gilded Pearl " technique in 24k gold.

[leroytwohawks]

That is just fantastic Barry, and that Gilded Pearl WOW that can't be easy BTW I love the new signature your using now.

Kevin

[Phil Coggan]

VERY nice Barry!!!

Phil

[ron]

Barry .. just fantastic work as always , thanks for posting .. ron p

[rod]

"She is Tom Sawyer's Becky Thatcher. She is The Little Red-Haired Girl of Charlie Brown. She is the sacred muse of Alonso Quixano who in 1605 stepped into some rusty armor to become the immortal Don Quixote de la Mancha. In Cervantes' book we never meet Dulcinea. She exists only in Alonso's mind.

Believing himself to be a knight and a peasant girl of his village to be the magnificent Princess Dulcinea, every deed, every journey and every quest is made in her name. But the girl, Aldonza Lorenzo by name, is utterly unaware of these events as Don Quixote never speaks to her and loves her only from afar. But his 'Lady Dulcinea' plays a vital role in Alonso's life and her presence is felt throughout the book.

Outwardly we laugh at the absurdity of a man jousting with windmills, thinking them to be giants. But inwardly we crave his sense of mission and purpose, his dedication to a cause, his willingness to pay any price to achieve the honor of his beloved.

So who is the silly one? He, for seeing beyond what is, to serve a beauty that could be, should be, ought to be? Or me, for remaining trapped in a black and white world where little men hide behind technicalities?

The most celebrated writer in Spanish literature, Miguel de Cervantes laid down his pen on April 23, 1616, and quietly passed away simultaneously with William Shakespeare, the most celebrated writer in English literature. In a single sunset, these two great voices were silenced."

Barry, you and your colleague, Mr Johnson, have created something here that would be treasured in any historical era, and we are glad it happened in this one!

best

Rod

[Brian Hochstrat]

Barry looking good. Is this the one that went to the AKI? I heard many people talking about the work you did on the Steve Johnson and the Steve Hoel. Thanks for posting it up. Brian

[srj]

Originally Posted by rod

"She is Tom Sawyer's Becky Thatcher. She is The Little Red-Haired Girl of Charlie Brown. She is the sacred muse of Alonso Quixano who in 1605 stepped into some rusty armor to become the immortal Don Quixote de la Mancha. In Cervantes' book we never meet Dulcinea. She exists only in Alonso's mind.

Believing himself to be a knight and a peasant girl of his village to be the magnificent Princess Dulcinea, every deed, every journey and every quest is made in her name. But the girl, Aldonza Lorenzo by name, is utterly unaware of these events as Don Quixote never speaks to her and loves her only from afar. But his 'Lady Dulcinea' plays a vital role in Alonso's life and her presence is felt throughout the book.

Outwardly we laugh at the absurdity of a man jousting with windmills, thinking them to be giants. But inwardly we crave his sense of mission and purpose, his dedication to a cause, his willingness to pay any price to achieve the honor of his beloved.

So who is the silly one? He, for seeing beyond what is, to serve a beauty that could be, should be, ought to be? Or me, for remaining trapped in a black and white world where little men hide behind technicalities?

The most celebrated writer in Spanish literature, Miguel de Cervantes laid down his pen on April 23, 1616, and quietly passed away simultaneously with William Shakespeare, the most celebrated writer in English literature. In a single sunset, these two great voices were silenced."

Barry, you and your colleague, Mr Johnson, have created something here that would be treasured in any historical era, and we are glad it happened in this one!

best

Rod

GULP! Thank you very much!

[leroytwohawks]

I second that GULP! beautiful writing Rod.

Kevin

[jetta77]

Damn, that's flawless simplicity. When I first viewed it the word japanese popped into my head, not that that has anyting to do w the theme. It's perfect Barry.

Ive always wanted to know, how does mother of pearl and other such material cut w a graver?

[spike]

Jeff, Actualy I think it is a Japanese tech. So it does have something to do with it.

[Dave London]

whow that is beautiful Dave

[Barry Lee Hands]

Thanks Kevin the signature is fun to do.
Phil, thank you for the very nice comment.
And Ron.
Rod, what can I say your words are well written as befits a well read well traveled and spoken man of the world such as yourself.
Next time I will have you write the catalog description.
Thanks Brian and you are welcome for the post, you are correct that is one of two I had at AKI. I will post the Hoel a little later.
They were almost a pair stylistically as I started the Hoel, did the first side to get the catalog pic, set it aside to do the SRJ, and then when the SRJ was done and finished went back to the Hoel. Very nearly four months between the two of them.
And thanks to Mr SR Johnson who asked me to engrave this wonderful knife he created. I suggested the bail which caused quite a few emails back and forth working that out, he truly is a leader in his field.

Originally Posted by jetta77

Damn, that's flawless simplicity. When I first viewed it the word japanese popped into my head, not that that has anyting to do w the theme. It's perfect Barry.
Ive always wanted to know, how does mother of pearl and other such material cut w a graver?

Originally Posted by spike

Jeff, Actualy I think it is a Japanese tech. So it does have something to do with it.

Thanks Jeff , Dave and Spike. I can see the Japanese influence myself,( Harumi Hirayama comes to mind, Harumi Hirayama and her mixed pearls and metals) although the technique is my own as stated before,.
I call it the “Gilded Pearl” technique.
Steve Lindsay had been urging me to engrave on pearl, but before that, a few years ago when I was with Ken Hunt in his London studio he was giving me a few hints about the damascene technique (Ken likes to keep you guessing the first go round).
The best hint he gave me was this:
“If you really want to learn the damascene, go to Japan, they are the best “
Around this time Steve Lindsay was still urging me to engrave on pearl, but I wanted to take it further and couldn't imagine quite how.
I went to Kyoto and spent a short time studying the technique of damascene and was undoubtedly influenced stylistically to some degree. While I was there, I had an epiphany in a japanese garden and concieved the idea of the gilded pearl.
The style I am consciously following with “Dulcinea”is the old Arabesque, but this I call “Neo Arabesque” and if you are at the Guild show in Reno next year you may allow me to entertain you with my seminar on the subject:
“ The threee segment leaf; A study of Arabesque through four thousand years of ornament’”
If you can stay awake through the entire seminar you will have some idea of where most of my influences are from, and how I came to this.

[Peter_M]

This is very stylish Barry.

Peter

[WVEngraver]

Awesome work Barry. Excellent photography as well. It's not always easy to capture the true essence of such fine and meticulous work.

Your seminar will undoubtedly be the highlight of the Guild's show.

Chris

[jlseymour]

Barry I'm to old to catch up with your work...
Can I look over your shoulder???
WOW!!!
Hope Jerry

[rod]

Barry,

Yes, I do write, but never trained formally in literature, however, that passage about Cevantes is just one that I like, and not my own, I hasten to acknowledge ! Please note its quotation marks? I would have liked to list the author, but cannot find its author? I have journeyed through those Spanish windmills, and I do so admire Cervantes, and his magnificent Don Quixote. Who are we, as humans if we do not dare to dream the impossible dream?

Given that Cervantes and Willy Shakespeare passed on the same day, and that the cold will have now surrounded your spread, Barry, here is a short favourite of mine from the Bard's "Twelfth Night" :

When icicles hang by the wall,
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit, Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson’s saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marion’s nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit, Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

best

Rod

[Herman Knives]

excellent work Barry and just beautiful. Will you ever share this technique with the rest of us lower life forms? Sure would be nice to share this magnificent technique.

[Gert]

WOW

[plat955]

Freekin Beautiful Dude!

Thanks for sharing it with us

[Barry Lee Hands]

Originally Posted by Peter_M

This is very stylish Barry.

Peter

Well thanks Peter, she is doing what stylish women do, going to Milan in two weeks for the big show.
Thanks Plat, I love your work.
Thanks Tim and Gert, it's a lot of fun to do.
Rod, my bones are chilled already! you are making me shiver!
Jerry, yes, come to Reno and you certainly can.
Thanks Chris, you have a good eye, and I appreciate the comment.

[Herman Knives]

Barry, you do some of the most excellent gold work I have ever seen. I am just getting into it as I never needed it much with my color engraving. But I would love to be able to do a nice flat raised gold border around the knife edge.
Your gold work truly amazes me.