Artwork – Astrolabe Arts

Petroglyphs and Crop Circles Staff

Some of my favorite subjects to work with are ancient petroglyphs and cave art. Though I will say some of the small curves and circles were a bit challenging. For this large 68” tall sumac staff I took ancient rock carvings and paintings from around the world and burned them along its length. Most of the glyphs are from various ancient cultures from the vastness of North America. I’ve also included a few crop circles since they fit the overall aesthetic and carry the same enigmatic aura as ancient cave art. While anthropologists may have discerned the meaning of some symbols, most remain a mystery shrouded in time. I also embedded a deep blue-green stone in one of the natural knots of the wood. Then after allowing the wood burning and stone to set I coated the the piece in several layers of boiled linseed oil for protection from the elements.

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September 12, 2024August 14, 2024 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: ancient, Artwork, cave art, ceremonial, crop circle, crop circles, handmade, petroglyph, petroglyphs, pyrography, rock art, staff, stick, wood burning Leave a comment

Second Star Trek Hiking Stick

Just a fun fan art piece for Star Trek. I wasn’t sure what to make with this piece since it’s relatively thin thus making it harder to display something with any detail, but eventually I landed on a Star Trek combadge and colored bands representing the different areas of expertise onboard a starship. The iconic words “To Boldly Go” are also wood burned onto the side. It’s made of sumac wood, stands at 57 inches, and has a coat of sealant to protect the ink and a coating of boiled linseed oil to protect the wood.

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July 18, 2024August 14, 2024 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: Artwork, com badge, combadge, handmade, hiking, hiking staff, hiking stick, next generation, pyrography, staff, star trek, stick, tng, to boldly go, walking, walking staff, walking stick, wood burning Leave a comment

Ancient Egyptian Gods Staff

I’ve been wanting to try to make this one for a while now and it came out pretty good. There’s a few processes and tecniques I might do different next time, but overall I’m very happy with the result. It’s fairly tall for a staff standing at 67″. The staff itself is made of semi-rough oak and the pyrography depicts images of 5 Ancient Egyptian deities along with various hieroglyphic motifs. The gods from top to bottom are Ra, Thoth, Anubis, Sobek, and Hathor. On the top of the staff is a band of Djed pillars aside star glyphs, the bottom banding depicts the Ankh, Wejda, Seneb (an Egyptian blessing meaning Life, Prosperity and Health) above the Djed, Nefer, and the Feather of Ma’at, with the connotations of Strength, Beauty, and Divine Justice. Below those six hieroglyphics is a field of stars – a sacred realm of the gods. The wood is also coated with boiled linseed oil for protection from the elements. Perfect for ceremonial purposes or just hiking through the forest!

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September 29, 2023 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: ancient Egyptian, ankh, Anubis, Artwork, Egyptian gods, handmade, Hathor, hieroglyphics, hieroglyphs, hiking staff, hiking stick, pyrography, Ra, Sobek, staff, Thoth, walking staff, walking stick, wood burning Leave a comment

New Viking Serpent Staff

Starting to return to wood burning by trying out my new pyrography machine and made this wonderful piece!

It displays a textured Viking serpent which historically had multivalent meanings, both positive and negative depending on context. The serpent is coiled around a 5’5″ piece of strong Rhode Island maple wood without being burdened by too much weight. The surface is smooth to the touch and finished off with a varnish of boiled linseed oil.

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August 17, 2023August 17, 2023 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: Artwork, handmade, hiking staff, hiking stick, pyrography, serpent, staff, Viking, walking staff, walking stick, wood burning Leave a comment

Cthulhu Cult Staff

The Staff of Cthulhu is certainly unique both in terms of the process and final product. Despite standing at 63” tall (a little longer if you measure with the curve) it’s surprisingly lightweight. The smooth, pale wood provided an excellent canvas for the wood-burning to really pop and stand out. However, the curved nature of a staff meant I had to wrap the image I wanted. The difficulty came in trying to navigate where to put what without bumping into something else. It also required texturing and slight shading which I hadn’t done with a wood-burner yet.

But, as you can see, Cthulhu’s hands, claws, wings, and mass off tentacles all fit within the limited space. Beneath the main depiction and hand grip made of black rawhide lace, are smaller cuneiform-like symbols I used to represent the phonetics of “Ph’nglui mglw’ nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn,” as it is in the Lovecraft mythos. It of course translates to “In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” After the pyrography was done I sanded it again and gave it several layers of polyurethane for protection and its aesthetics.

Artist: J.R. Goslant

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Artist: J.R. Goslant

February 10, 2017March 24, 2017 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: art, Artwork, Cthulhu, Cthulhu Cult Staff, hiking staff, hiking stick, J.R. Goslant, Lovecraft, Lovecraftian, pyrography, staff, walking staff, walking stick, wood burning 1 Comment

Engraved Stones

I’ve recently by practicing engraving various depictions on stones with plans for a more extensive engraving project planned.

Viking Stone Artist: J.R. Goslant

Orion Artist: J.R. Goslant

Egyptian for “Justin,” Scarab, Wadjet (Eye of Horus), Nefer, Ankh, Star (from top left to right) Artist: J.R. Goslant

Orion, Viking Stone, Roman SPQR, Chi Rho, Cuneiform Symbols (from top left to right) Artist: J.R. Goslant

Chi Rho Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Zodiac Star Constellation Charm Stones Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Zodiac Star Constellation Charm Stones with a quarter for size comparison. Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Taurus Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Scorpio Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Pisces Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Libra Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Gemini Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Capricorn Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Cancer Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Aquarius Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Leo Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Virgo Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Aries Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

Engraved Sagittarius Zodiac Star Constellation Artist: J.R. Goslant

If you can’t tell, I have an affinity for ancient Egyptian culture and astronomy choosing to carve out ancient hieroglyphs and star constellations – Orion and the twelve signs of the zodiac. The larger black stones are coated with a water-proof sealant meant to protect the ink and giving the stones a remarkable sheen that came out wonderful! The smaller colored and black stones have no coating since I used a paint-pen which dries quicker and won’t smudge despite handling.

Artist: J.R. Goslant

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December 5, 2016March 24, 2017 by jrgoslant Categories: ArtworkTags: ancient, ancient Egyptian, ankh, aquarius, aries, art, Artwork, astrolabe arts, black, black stones, cancer, capricorn, crafts, engraved, engraved stones, engraving, eye of horus, gemini, handcrafted, handmade, hieroglyphics, hieroglyphs, J.R. Goslant, JR Goslant, leo, libra, pisces, sagittarius, scarab, scorpio, sea serpent, serpent, star constellations, stars, stones, taurus, Viking, virgo, wadjet, zodiac Leave a comment

Petroglyph Shaman Staff

Artist: J.R. Goslant SOLD

Petroglyphs from around the world have a mysterious allure, recording stories lost to the ages. The entire upper half of this staff is ornately covered with petroglyphs from various cultures burned into the wood. Many originate from the American Southwest.

The decretive band is made of rawhide and adorned with numerous beads including 2 made from walrus teeth and another from a canine claw. The top has several stones embedded and wrapped with waxed hemp including tiger’s eye and a tektite – which was formed from the heat of a meteorite impact. It stands at 66” tall and has been given three coats of polyurethane for aesthetics and protection from the elements.

This staff is perfect for ceremonies, or just going for a casual walk.

SOLD

Artist: J.R. Goslant

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March 17, 2016March 24, 2017 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: Artwork, ceremonial, ceremonial wizard staff, handmade, hiking stick, J.R. Goslant, petroglyphs, rock art, rock carvings, shaman staff, staff, walking stick, wizard staff Leave a comment

Native American Hiking Stick

Artist: J.R. Goslant SOLD

I’ve always admired Native American culture and aesthetics and thought I could make a great cultural themed hiking stick, so I did.

There are 7 (6 distinct) symbols drawn on with metallic ink; a section wrapped with tan rawhide and bordered with black for grasping; seashells, beads, and feathers hanging from the side; two pieces of turquoise embedded; a purple gemstone on the top and it’s a few inches under 6’6″. It’s also been covered with a few coats of polyurethane, except for under the rawhide since the coatings were an afterthought.

The symbols depicted are 2 eagles, a kokopelli, turtle, bear, medicine wheel, and symbol for the sun. Symbols vary in their depictions and meanings depending on the tribe, but the overall meanings for each symbol used are as follows:

Eagle: Our national bird was deeply revered by Native Americans and represented numerous traits, but chief among them were courage, wisdom, and truth. Variations of those traits are also represented like honor, power, and freedom.

Kokopelli: This is a popular symbol even today and originates in the American Southwest. The mythical figure was believed to be the harbinger of Spring, playing his flute and dancing, the Kokopelli would spread joy and harmony while bringing the warmer months with him from village to village. He is also a potent symbol for agriculture and fertility.

Bear: Most animals symbols represent characteristics the animal itself possesses. The bear is the same way representing both strength and courage as well as motherhood (and other things associated with those like childbirth) because of how fiercely mother bears will protect their young.

Turtle: The slow, but steady turtle represents health and long life since they themselves live a long time, some live longer than humans. It’s also representative of protection and the ability to overcome and preserver as the shell allows the turtle to do.

Medicine Wheel: This is a very important symbol containing lots of information. It shows the cardinal directions and also the earth, sky, and circle of life. Each section is also associated with its own animal and color.

Sun Symbol: It obviously symbolizes the sun and played a large role in all ancient cultures since it is literally what makes life on Earth possible. It can represent powerful deities who were the “givers,” or “bringers” of light.

SOLD

Artist: J.R. Goslant

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Astrolabe Arts

November 3, 2015March 24, 2017 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: Artwork, beads, feathers, handmade, hiking stick, J.R. Goslant, native american, seashells, staff, symbolic, symbols, turquoise Leave a comment

Ceremonial Wizard Staff

Artist: J.R. Goslant SOLD

I’ve finally finished it! A 6’6″ wizard staff! Started this piece a few years ago and added to it over time: first I found the stick, of course, and given its unique grooves I glued and embedded numerous crystals, shells, rocks, glass, and some coral into said grooves.

The vine (it’s actually a root) was uprooted by a friend attempting to build something in the woods. I kept it because it was extremely flexible and with a little time left to soak in some water it became bendable enough to wrap it more tightly around the branch.

Streaming down from the root are several strings of rawhide supporting beads, feathers, and animal bones. Most of the feathers came from blue-jays and the bones are most likely from a skunk, or raccoon- I found both the feathers and the bones so no animals were hunted down for the making of this awesome wizard staff!

At long last came the decision to give it a few coats of polyurethane for some weather-proofing and that nice, professional sheen.

It can be used during some kind of ceremony, for cosplay, or just for decoration. It could be used as a hiking stick, but it’s a bit heavy for that and the crystals and shells are fragile and likely to break while traipsing around the woods.

SOLD

Artist: J.R. Goslant

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