Seamus,
No quarter given doing it the hard way with the scroll saw et al, I like the Acknowledgement to Don on another post and must say your coins have impressed me greatly for some time now. The sum of the parts become apparent from the whole (holes cut out).
I regard this method as close up photography when I first experienced it myself. In another life I used to photograph Crysomelid Beetles that spent their life in the upper story living on Eucalypts sometimes hundreds of feet above the ground for CSIRO a semi Govt Scientific organisation. This with close up rings on 21/4 square Hasselblads. They possessed incredible colours and wing formations, shapes and sizes things most folks never witnessed.
No I dont have wings or at over 200 lbs the athleticism to climb and capture these. This was done by scientists and tech officers, how we were able to succeed in imaging we kept them for a time in the general part of a refrigerator then until they warmed up, they stood well and were competent fliers.
In another section or Division of CSIRO Canberra my introduction to trees came from assisting a Scientist who photographed as did we under the top tree growth of trees to further the understanding and use of camoflage under trees. Then later on in their Division of Forest Research methods of Professional Timber Cutters using chain saws, axes, mills etc in NSW and Tasmania.
Learning the dissection of tasks in the Forestry Industry fascinated me, at one series of tasks the PHD guy took 8mm film of the cutter in action and recorded the dialogue by recording whilst I took stills and an expert axeman stood with us ensuring our safety, the stags or old abandoned trees in Tasmania were from ten to twenty feet across at the base in old growth forests sometimes quite hollow by then. They called them widowmakers.
All of this and a wonderment enthused me so I learned the processes needed to understand the how, when and why,s of timber. You Seamus have showed me the dissection of a coin giving great emphasis to the parts that make the whole a new asspect and appreciation for me especially you choosing such a vast subject as American Quarters.
A close friend of mine has one of his sons works for the Australian Mint here in Canberra is in charge of the entire production of Coins, the artists that design them also their workshops, fascinating.
Thankyou my friend.
Kind regards Peter.
