We are now back at work. We have established regular work days, replenished our gas, wire, grinding wheels and coffee. We bought some steel this month and made our first cut a few weeks ago on Fire Bloom 3, the third in our Beach Primrose series. This one is completely different in its orientation and relationship to the sea. In effect, it is a representation of a flower that has blown over by the gusty winds of the Pacific.

The engineering of this Bloom is interesting because it's center of balance is no longer the bottom of the bowl, but the inner edge of the bowl. We are also using thinner walled steel and thus need to reinforce it withanother layer of steel that nests inside each other. The petals will also vary significantly in shape as they will have a windswept look.

It feels good to be back in the shop twisting our heads around a new challenge. Our approach on the third Fire Bloom is going to be much less planned and more sculptural. The more familiar we become with the shape of the Beach Primrose, the more comfortable we become with sculpting the piece instinctively.