Teom Lim
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Teom's artwork is not limited to decorative wood carving. He treats all of his projects as art. Even technical projects are a blend of science and artistic flare. It does matter if it is landscaping, welding, carpentry, architecture, bronze casting, building construction or any strange project, they all bare his unique style.
Secret Garden Gate. On a busy street in a large city, there hides a beautiful garden. The only way to this wonderful place is through the Golden Gate.
Front Door Medallion. Many doors are constructed with a generic glass window. This door is decorated with a cedar medallion. The image of this house along with its address was burned into the wood. There is no mistaking where you are when knocking on this door.
Fire place surround. Carefully placed rocks and stones depict a beach scene. The mantle is sheathed in copper sheets for both aesthetics and heat shielding.
Bronze crabs and other sea life adorn the background.
Vintage coffee table converted to functional art. A shelf was fitted to the bottom of this table. Then an elaborate miniaturized ocean scene was carved to fill the space beneath the glass table top.
The island protruding above the glass is a separate piece from the part below the glass. They are held together by powerful magnets. The two seals to the right of the island were created in the same way. Their heads and bodies are separate pieces held together by magnetic force. They can be moved around the glass table top as desired. Both the island and the seals may be removed to restore a functional table top or to simply clean the glass.
Creating a wildlife magnet. Building this pond was an exercise in good planning and observation. The area in front of this house was low and prone to flooding. A 9 foot deep pit was dug in this area. Then it was partially filled with sand and many drainage pipes. This construction served as a water level control structure. After it was built, flooding was no longer an issue. Unfortunately, the wildlife that depended on the pond were negatively affected. The decision to build a decorative pond on top of the water control structure was then obvious. This pond is connected to rain gutter pipes from all the buildings on this property. When it rains, the pond is quickly filled. Water from the pond is then used for irrigation and, most importantly, to satisfy the needs of wildlife.
This little oasis supports a myriad of creatures. Dragonflies to deer, fish to finches and everything else in the neighborhood. The creatures are so dependent on the pond that a temporary pool has to be set up when the pond is drawn down for scheduled maintenance.
Larry the Lion. Larry started out as an Arbutus wood burl. The burl was sitting on top of a fence post for a long time and was partially rotten. It was suggested that I carve a lion head from this burl as the twisted part resembles a lion's mane.
Carving a weathered piece of Arbutus was challenging! Most of the wood was hard like concrete but the remainder was like grey powder. Unfortunately for Larry, his right side was a little soft. After I finished craving, his right lip fell off. After much facial reconstruction, Larry looked fierce again but with a slightly smaller face.
Wood bases for exotic rocks and stones. Carving wood bases for exotic rocks and semi precious stones is a delicate and time consuming process. The bases are carved to fit the rocks or stones "like a glove". They provide stability and a stylish way to display these beautiful objects. It is vitally important that the stones or rocks cannot fall over as they are valuable.
Fishing Lures are often made to fit fisherman's tales or taste. A common tale is "if you want to catch the big fish, you must use the biggest lure". I made such a lure for the tall tale fisherman.
Sport fishing, in the past, was a sport for the nobility. Some of the lures used were made by skilled craftsmen. Fishing flies are probably the pinnacle of the sport fishing world. The Lady Amherst Fly was often used to fish for Atlantic salmon. This wood carving was made in the same spirit as the original fly with multiple steps and exotic materials. Within this frame is a wood carving (center), a functional Lady Amherst fishing fly (top right) and a Canada Post commemorative stamp honoring the tradition of fly fishing in Canada (bottom left).
A Royal Crown. An old sun bleached elk skull was hanging on a fence post. It seemed an unfitting end for such a "royal" animal. With some rope, paint and calligraphy skill, it now graces a prominent place.
Dragon Flies. I have always like to watch dragon flies. It is amazing how they fly. There are so many species and their colours are vibrant. They are dragons in every way. When they were nymphs living beneath the pond's surface, they look like little dragons and were voracious predators. They continue their predatory nature after they emerge and metamorphose into the winged adults. Truly one of nature's little wonders.
Eagle light shade. This eagle carving graces the foyer of a house that is open to the second floor. With such a large space to decorate, a full sized eagle carving was commissioned to fit the space. This eagle light shade was carved from Red and Yellow cedar from Vancouver Island, Canada. Both wings were carved from a single piece of Red cedar while the head, body and tail were carved from Yellow cedar.
Eagle light shade. The glow of the light reminds me of an eagle flying between me and the setting Pacific sun.
Carriage wheel chandelier. A high vaulted ceiling is a good location for a carriage wheel chandelier in a country style home. Carriage wheels in good condition are difficult to find and are very heavy. This decorative wheel was constructed in a similar way as traditional wheels but uses light weight woods. The carriage wheel was suspended with jute fiber ropes and a pulley. It can be easily raised or lowered for cleaning and maintenance.
Carriage wheel chandelier.
Bronze works. This bronze Coho salmon was mounted in a style common in England during the 18th and 19th centuries. A trophy fish mounted onto a green coloured board bounded by a fiber rope. This form of art graced castle walls and homes of the nobility.
Bronze works. An elk sculpture cast in bronze captures the majestic nature of this creature.
This walking stick was made for a woman with mobility issues. The ring handle design was carved to allow her hands to grip it from multiple angles. Also, the ring shape makes it less likely to fall out of her hand. When the walking stick was completed, I straddled it between two tables and then sat in the middle. This was the proof of strength. It did not break and I was then confident to send it to her.
A lovingly restored early 20th century home.
This door medallion is a 3-D rendition of the house on the left. The model was carefully constructed and painted to resemble the actual house.
The model was then mounted onto its back board and hung on the front door.
Engraved cabinetry. Images of wheat sheaths grace the pantry door.
Engraved cabinetry. Wheat sheaths grace the pantry doors.
Engraved cabinetry. Grape vines growing from door to door circle the kitchen.
Stairs - carefully fitted pieces of Portuguese cork, Eastern maple, poplar, Baltic birch and oak.
Stair rail system - an artistic combination of oak, purple heart wood, copper and forged iron. Copper hand rails with carved purple heart wood end caps.
Rails - forged to resemble two feathers and a rosette.
Koi Pond Table. A peaceful depiction of a koi pond. Magnetic lily pads can easily be removed to restore a functional table top and to facilitate easy cleaning. The lily pads also serve as coasters.
Log table. A "slice" of mountain stream carved into a pine log. A Rainbow trout and a multitude of stream creatures inhabit this art table.
Treasure table. A chest full of treasures collected during travels around the world.
If it were left to conventional engineering calculations, bumble bees cannot fly. Let not the conventional wisdom restrict you from great discoveries.
I once heard that an engineer calculated and concluded that bumble bees should not be able to fly because their wings were too small to carry its weight? Well, it seems that the bee did not read the report. Sometimes it is better to go with your instincts than conventional wisdom.
The glass in this green house was recycled from a home renovation. A potential ton of waste in a land fill was resurrected into an instrument of food production.
Some of the wood used in the construction of this green house was also salvaged from a home renovation.
Tomatoes, egg plant, herbs and a grape vine grow in this green house.
Pacific Black Brant decoy.
Decoy carvings. A very collectible art form. Some antique decoys from the early 20th century could fetch over a $100,000 at auction. Most modern decoys are for decorative art and very few are used for actual duck hunting.
Grebe decoy.
Trailer design and production. A project to create a new design of kayak trailer starts with a scale model built of brass tubing and a wood carved kayak (14 inches / 35 cm).
Through much thought and work, a prototype emerges. Then comes the hard work of producing fleets of these versatile trailers.
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