[DaveP]

Thanks again everyone for the compliments. I really appreciate them. Mark, I know of CLA but I live in Alaska and have a full time job so I rarely can get away to enjoy the CLA meetings and shows. I plan on joining the organization mainly to support its mission. I am an active member of the American Longrifles Forum (ALR) and I previously posted pictures of the pistols on that board. I visited your website. What marvelous work!!! I love it!! I love 17th and 18th century decorative arts. I can stare at wood block engravings, decorated furniture and home accessories, and firearms from that period for hours. I have two projects in the works. I built a early 17th century English fowling gun with an early "type 1" English lock. I am going to engrave the lockplate with typical 17th century motifs. However, I want the design to be sophisticated and well executed but not too elaboate (like French work of the time) because English guns were more simply decorated during the early-mid 1600s. My other project is a late 14th century hand gonne with carved bone inlay. I am trying to mimic designs and work that would be appropriate for Venice Italy during the late 1300s. There will be winged lions and portraits of Doges carved in bone. I spent time in the NY Metropolitan Museum of art last summer studying Byzantine bone carving for inspiration. To say the least, I was inspired by what I saw!! I'll post pictures of my work as I finish the projects.

Take care ,

dave

dave