Custom Collaborations
For those of you with thoughts of having a flute personalized with carvings and burnings of images that hold special significance to you, you may want to consider a collaborative effort between myself and award winning artist Brigitte Lopez of Whirlwind Studios.
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The pictures on this page are of a bass A flute I crafted from Alaskan yellow cedar. The beautiful relief carved images and burnings depict the Hopi Flute Ceremony and Snake Ceremony which take place in August, during alternating years on the Hopi Mesas in Northeast Arizona.
The images of the Flute Ceremony, carved and burned by Brigitte, are from a photograph (one of my all time favorites) that was taken in 1900 by photographer Sumner Matterson at Walpi Pueblo, on First Mesa. It shows the Flute Ceremony procession ascending the mesa steps to the pueblo. Brigitte did a masterful job of re-creating the magic of this photograph into the body of the flute.
The intricately carved fetish is also a re-creation of Walpi Pueblo.
The images of the snake and dancer are Brigitte's creation, which depict some of the rituals of the Snake Ceremony.
Ordering Process and Things to Consider
First determine what key flute you would like. The larger bodied flutes, such as the bass and triples, provide the best "canvas" for Brigitte's work.
Determine the images or story you would like your flute to tell. This will need to be discussed with Brigitte to calculate pricing and the time frame for completion.
To best show the carvings and burnings we recommend wood of a lighter color, such as Alaskan yellow cedar or Port Orford cedar.
After I craft, voice and tune the flute, I will then send it on to Brigitte at Whirlwind Studios so she can begin her work.
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If a custom carved flute is not in the budget, you may want to consider a flute with a custom carved block only. Shown above is a wolf head block, carved by Brigitte and mounted on an F# flute.
If you would like to explore a collaborative flute or a custom block, please contact me so we can discuss it.