"Fractures Embrace" Bladeshow 2021 Dagger

PaulDiStefano

PaulDiStefano

Joined
Nov 14, 2016
Messages
636
Hey everyone! I never posted this dagger I had made for blade 2021. Finally got the time figure out the pictures to get it up here. I hope you guys enjoy!

I had used a modified ancient Japanese pottery technique called Kintsugi. Kintsugi is a way of repairing broken pottery while also highlighting the repairs instead of hiding them. It traditionally uses lacquers to put broken pieces of pots back together while then covering the fracture lines in gold dust that sticks to the lacquer creating fractured gold veins along the repaired cracks. Obviously the guard and pommel of the knife are not broken pieces of metal that I glued back together and then covered in gold. Instead I had carved in shallow channels with a rotary tool that I could pour an epoxy(much more permanent and stronger then red lacquer) into and then as it got tacky I dusted in 24k gold.

. This piece was created to celebrate the beauty in natural imperfections and what some might consider defects in nature. Labradorite naturally has gorgeous colored veins running throughout the crystal that almost resemble fractures. The kintsugi 24k gold veins running through the guard and butt of the knife were used to mirror the idea of embracing the beauty of flaws instead of hiding them.

---I had an artistic vision of creating a GRAND SCULPTURAL type dagger and this is what I came up with. This piece is just as much a sculpture as it is a functional tool.

Hope you enjoy!!!

please let me know all your thoughts!

*keep in mind this dagger was meant to be viewed vertically with blade facing down. You can see it this way In the video I will link



The piece is 22” overall
14” blade of 600 layer ladder damascus
Hot blued mild steel guard and butt with 24k gold kintsugi inlays
Handle is labradorite crystal carved to depict a flower falling into a pond causing ripples in the tranquil water.
Flower inlay is walrus ivory.
Bronze decorative spacers

www.instagram.com

Paul Distefano Knives on Instagram: "“Fractures Embrace” This is a grand sculptural dagger I created for bladeshow 2021. This piece was created to celebrate the beauty in natural flaws and what some might consider defects in nature. Labradorite natu

492 likes, 13 comments - pauldistefanoknives on August 7, 2021: "“Fractures Embrace” This is a grand sculptural dagger I created for bladeshow 2021. This piece was created to celebrate the beauty in natural flaws and what some might consider defects in nature. Labradorite naturally has gorgeous...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

IMG_2409.JPG
IMG_2410.JPG

IMG_2411.JPG


IMG_2412.JPG
 
i4Marc said:
Wow! That is quite the artistic statement. Looks like a ton of work.
Click to expand...
Thanks mark. Oh ya it was.. I remember splitting my time between this and the JS test knives and had to spend 36 straight hours in the shop before leaving for bladeshow immediately after because I underestimated how long this piece would take haha.
 
Richard338 said:
Now THAT is creative! The flower rippling the water is a great concept.
Click to expand...
Thanks Richard! It’s one of the more simple carvings I’ve done but boy am I in love with the concept. I will 100% use this idea in a few other ways on some future knives. I like the ideas of tranquility and zen gardens and to me, a gently rippling pond reminds me of those and fits the theme
 
from what I understand, Art is all about intention. To my way of thinking, the name helps signify intention, (yours).

the name of this piece, and the piece itself, together, could signify different things to different people- there are many layers and the enigmatic nature of the combination of name and object elevate this beyond a mere object and into something else.

it feels like this piece would be at home in a gallery. I personally don't think the words "functional tool" need to be applied- it's much, much more than that.
 
Lorien said:
from what I understand, Art is all about intention. To my way of thinking, the name helps signify intention, (yours).

the name of this piece, and the piece itself, together, could signify different things to different people- there are many layers and the enigmatic nature of the combination of name and object elevate this beyond a mere object and into something else.

it feels like this piece would be at home in a gallery. I personally don't think the words "functional tool" need to be applied- it's much, much more than that.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for the kind words Lorien. Truly. When starting my knifemaking journey I had a few specific goals in mind of where I wanted the direction of my work to head toward. After reading your comment it makes me believe that I am indeed headed in the right direction for what I want my work to be and how it’s perceived. :)
 
Last edited:
PaulDiStefano said:
Thanks so much for the kind words Lorien. Truly. When starting my knifemaking journey I had a few specific goals in mind of where I wanted the direction of my work to head toward. After reading your comment it makes me believe that I am indeed headed in the right direction for what I want my work to be and how it’s perceived. :)
Click to expand...
Paul, I'm very curious what those specific goals are.

There are a lot of extremely talented artisans making beautiful knives that some would consider art, but are really just very well crafted tools. There are a lot of other folks that make "art" knives that are really just highly embellished pieces. There are very few that actually see conceive of their knives as art objects with meaning and intention beyond function or embellishment. There are far, far fewer who do this well. Fewer than I have fingers and toes, I'd guess. You're setting yourself up to be one of the greats, and I hope you continue to push and evolve.

I'm starting to try to bend my mind that way as well--to be a legit artist instead of just a good knifemaker. And, frankly, seeing your knives at Blade this last year was a significant part of the push I needed to break away from "mere" craftsmanship. Let's hear those goals. I'm also interested to hear if you have a long term arc of focus to keep your works as part of a coherent oeuvre, or if you're just planning to wing it and leave the interpretation of coherence to the folks who write about you after you're dead.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top