nature – Astrolabe Arts

Viking Serpent and Vines Staff

I had a lot of fun creating this piece. It combines two motifs I’ve very much enjoyed doing in the past, namely the Viking Serpent and vines, both coiling around the length of the staff. Serpents are found in mythologies from around the world and often symbolized rebirth, renewal, and knowledge, whereas vines represent a return to nature. The natural winding curvature of the wood itself enhances the overall design. It’s made of sumac wood, stands at 57.5 inches, and has multiple coats of sealant and boiled linseed oil.

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August 15, 2024August 14, 2024 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: hiking, mythological, natural, nature, Nordic, Norse, serpent, snake, staff, stick, Viking, vines, walking Leave a comment

Hobbit Hiking Stick

I just wanted to make simple, minimalist hiking stick perfect for a walk in the woods. Nothing complicated, or requiring the spray sealant, just natural wood along with an aesthetic and subject matter I find personally appealing. It’s made from a lightweight, sturdy piece of sumac wood standing at 50.5” and has the famous phrase from Tolkien “Not all who wander are lost” burned into the side along with a recreation of the Elven leaf clasp from The Fellowship of the Ring. The well proportioned staff was entirely hand crafted from sanding to burning. The wood itself is also coated with a varnish of boiled linseed oil to protect the wood from the elements.

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May 27, 2024August 14, 2024 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: Elven, Fellowship of the Ring, hiking, Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, nature, staff, stick, Tolkien, walking, Wander, wood burning Leave a comment

Flowers and Vine Hiking Stick

I’m actually quite happy with how this turned out.

I had some issues with how the wood burning initially looked, I had paint smudging issues, I had a second round of paint smudging issues when the sealant I use to keep the paint from smudging, unbeknownst to me, made the paint wet – and this smudgeable again, but with some extra sanding and patience I was able to overcome those issues.

This is the second flowers and vine hiking stick I’ve made, but I created more variety within the flowers both in shape and color. It’s made from a piece of sumac wood -one of my favorite woods to work with and very underrated- which stands at 60.5”, or just a half-inch over 5′. The flowers and vine were created with a wood burner and filled in with paint pens. I then applied two coats of spray sealer to protect both the wood and the paint. Finally I gave it a coat of boiled linseed oil for final layer of protection and polished sheen.

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May 13, 2024August 14, 2024 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: art, flowers, hiking, hiking staff, hiking stick, nature, pyrography, vines, wood burning Leave a comment

Planets of the Solar System Hiking Stick

I’ve been trying to get back into making my staves and hiking sticks – I seem to always make a few, then fall out of it again.

But, I’m back at it once more and here’s another solar system themed stick! It’s got your basic planets plus Pluto and its moon, Charon; I also included Earth’s moon, a radio satellite, Sputnik, and a UFO. It stands at 55.5″ and is made of one of my favorite and underrated woods -sumac- which is lightweight, yet surprisingly sturdy. I used gel pens for the illustrations, a spray sealant, and finally some boiled linseed oil for some extra protection and an added sheen.

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April 29, 2024August 14, 2024 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: art, astronomy, gel pen, hiking, hiking stick, nature, science, solar system, staff Leave a comment

Painted Flowers and Vines Hiking Staff

While it took a fair amount of time, patience, and a steady hand to make this staff I enjoyed working on it and am pleased with the final result. Red and orange flowers are joined by a leafy vine wrapped around the body of the staff. It’s a 60″ piece of maple wood with a faux ladybug attached near the top. The images were wood burned onto the staff and the colors come from paint pens which give better control than a typical brush. I then used a spray on acrylic sealer to keep the paint from smearing and wearing off as well protecting the wood from weathering. I also used boiled linseed oil for an extra layer of protection which had the added benefit of giving the piece a subtle shine.

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November 30, 2020November 19, 2020 by jrgoslant Categories: Staffs and Hiking SticksTags: flowers, hiking, hiking staff, hiking stick, ladybug, nature, nature staff, pyrography, vines, walking, walking staff, walking stick, wood burning Leave a comment

Natural Wand

The wood of this wand is most likely birch, but was difficult to be certain because it’s also a “beaver chew,” also called a “beaver stick,” and has had the bark chewed off. But this process has left clear tooth marks on parts of the wand’s blade. The point of the wand was also created naturally by beavers.

Continuing with the strong natural theme of this wand I attached a quartz crystal to the bottom of the haft and used vines to help keep it secure. I also attached feathers I found, one from a blue jay, a cardinal, and a small yellow bird -probably some kind of finch. There’s a little detailing done with a wood-burner and bands of yellow, blue, and red hemp to match the colors of each feather.

It’s about 13.5” long and polished with boiled linseed oil.

Artist: J.R. Goslant

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August 12, 2017July 22, 2017 by jrgoslant Categories: WandsTags: beaver chew, beaver stick, beaver wood, bird feathers, blue jay, blue jay feather, cardinal, cardinal feather, crystal, feather, magic wand, natural, nature, pyrography, quartz, quartz crystal, vine, vines, wand, wood burning, yellow bird, yellow feather Leave a comment

“Wanderer” Hiking Stick

This is one of a series of projects I did with a more minimalist aesthetic. I tried some ideas I hadn’t tried before like leaving some of the bark on the wood to create a different look. The polyurethane coats enhanced the different shades on the bark making it look like chocolate and vanilla marble cake.

There’s only limited wood-burning on this staff: the diagonal lines bordering the bark hand-grip; a compass star; and the words “Not All Who Wander Are Lost.” On the opposite side is a leaf preserved and attached with polyurethane. It stars at about 61” tall and has a good weight that makes it sturdy, but still light enough to use while hiking.