Natural Edge Bowl

This natural edge bowl is made of white oak and is finished with an amber shellac, which gives the bowl an orange glow.  In addition it features a wooden half ring, cut from the same tree.  My intention for the ring was to " frame " the bowl, much like an artist would frame a painting.  To my knowledge, this is a new technique, and I believe that it adds an aura of importance to the bowl. 

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The Broken Deer Horn Pen

This was quite a project.  I started with a piece of deer horn, which I drilled and turned round on my lathe.  I then just about destroyed it altogether by breaking it into pieces with a sharp chisel and a hammer.  Several of these pieces were then thrown away, and I filled in the gaps with lapis lazuli and sterling silver.  The trim on the pen is plated with platinum.  The writing tip is ceramic, making it a pleasure to sign your name with. 

This one was difficult to give up, but it is now sold and part of a private collection.

Ambrosia Maple Vase - Inlaid With Turquoise

Here is one of my latest pieces.  This was a piece of ambosia maple that was salvaged from a fire.  Hence the name, "The Phoenix".  I inlaid it with turquoise, red coral, and sterling silver. 

Currently Available

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Inlaid Walnut Bracelet

Walnut, inlaid with lapis lazuli, turquoise, white marble, and red coral, with accents of copper.

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Artist Guild and Gallery of Greenville - December

Just a few pictures from the show at the Artist Guild and Gallery of Greenville in South Carolina.

The Scolding Girl Buckeye Burl Pen

Not all pieces of wood agree with an artist on just what they want to be.  I find it a great deal easier on my personal karma to let the wood make it's own life changing decisions from time to time.  I want the wood to "speak to me". Sometimes though, I make the mistake of not listening and trying to impose my will on wood when I shouldn't.   Take this pen for instance.........

 

 

This buckeye burl piece is inlaid with turquoise and red coral.  It is finished with 20 coats of lacquer, and it has a wonderful "feel" when holding it.  It was not however part of my original plan to inlay it at all.  This was just to be a nice straight forward burled pen. But this little chunk of tree had some pretty intense ideas of it's own on what kind of pen it wanted to be. When turning the wood for this pen I felt as if I was a grown man who was being scolded by a little girl who just did not want to cooperate with me.  And after all,  who is the boss here anyway?  I mean, I was the woodworker with countless hours of experience. But, every time I made a cut it was as if she was complaining to me.  ( Am I the only woodworker whose wood talks to him?).  Determined to have my way, and not let a tiny sliver of wood get the best of me, I kept going.  I was not in the frame of mind to listen to what the wood was telling me. Then it happened.  The wood blank came apart on my lathe, leaving gaps and holes in places I didn't know existed.  The little scolding girl had at last gotten her way.  She had won.  It was her way or none at all, she had thrown a tantrum, and she blew up at me.  It was pretty much a disaster.  I sheepishly filled the gaps with turquoise and red coral.  The girl was now pleased, and the end result is actually what it needed to be.  It now had texture, a story, and an eye-catching look.  The little scolding girl was right all along.  Sometimes it pays to listen to a piece of wood.

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The Lantern

Made from black walnut, Australian banksia pod, turquoise, and sterling silver, this original design lantern was an attempt to add as much texture movement and rhythm to a wood turning project as possible. While I am infatuated with the natural beauty of wood grain, I wanted to take it up several notches by emphasizing the character and texture of some already incredibly beautiful gifts of nature.

The body of the lantern is made from Australian banksia pod. To add texture, I turned the pod on a lathe just enough to expose a natural red velvety layer in random areas. It tends to soften the overall look and feel of the lantern in much the same way an interior designer might add textiles to a room full of hard surfaces to make the room more inviting. The soft light created by a flameless candle offers a certain warmth when glowing softly through the eyes of the pod.

The top and base is made from black walnut, which I have inlaid with crushed turquoise stone and tiny bits of sterling silver. To give the work piece a pattern of natural rhythm and implied movement, I cut my inlay lines to mimic the grain of the wood.

The finial was made from walnut as well. I created it by turning it somewhat smaller than needed and then encrusting it with the same turquoise gemstones and sterling silver that I used on the base and top.

I like the way that the finished product fits well in a natural environment and has a certain whimsical feel to it. Onlookers seem to come to their own interesting conclusions about what the intent of my design was, which suits me fine. I am in fact rather flattered that it is interesting enough for people to stop and ponder about. Some seem to think it is of Asian influence. One man seemed to think that the natural holes in the banksia pod body resembled numerous little eyes looking back at you. Others seem to think it is something that a small faerie or creature might live in, deep in an enchanted forest. To me, the most important element for an artist is fun, and I tend to try and evoke these kinds of comments and thought processes from onlookers rather than discourage them. I think that artist often make a mistake when they insist that that their art should be viewed a certain way.

This particular lantern sold prior to getting it on this site and is now part of a private collection. While my plans are to do a series of these, all will be quite different. If you are interested in reserving a signed original lantern I can be emailed at r.alancurtis@gmail.com.