The Story of A "Shell"
One of a limited set of wood pieces offered especially for the Community Supported Arts Project in Seattle.

The Tree

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CunninghamiaLanceolata
A blend of the characteristics of fir and cypress, this wood is a renewable resource used as lumber for construction and furniture.  

Roots of harvested trees are dug up rather than burned, then cleaned, seasoned and put to use for beautiful utilitarian furnishings.

The Root

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The root wood is anything but charming to begin with.

Here's the beginning of the story:  
The wood source: it is a root rescued from the land clearing equipment.  It is seasoned and shaped by artisans who love it.  It is sold to a company who loves it.
It was not quite perfect.
Susan Holland found it on a shelf of "culls" which might have been burned for firewood, or otherwise disposed of.


Here's the beginning of the middle of the story!
The process:  look at the piece and feel it, and let the size, shape, weight and grain speak to the "right brain".  Check with "the muse."  Go for the concept, and choose what and how to carve, with hand and rotary tools. Files and burning tools come into play.  Other re-purposed materials may come into play.  Let it sit and teach me where it is going next.


Decide how much "repair" is needed  and how to do it.  In this case, the repair will be to drill through places on the backside of the saucer and with glue and doweling (a wood skewer) to stabilize the crack at the bottom. Do I want to fill all knot holes?  Not necessarily .  They are part of the root's story, and the unique identity marks of this piece of wood. Knot holes and odd irregularities are often the most interesting part of the piece!


Add some color, perhaps, like rubbing oil color or inks or pigments into the piece.  and some texture.  Look at this upside down and in the mirror.  I am loving this piece...it's about a garden, and a garden wall.  The drilled dots are snow falling on the stone wall.


Here's the beginning of the end of the story:

Once the piece has had its say, incise the title, the place made, and the signature of the maker on the backside.


Then seal the piece with something that agrees with the color medium and the desired amount of gloss.  Wax and polish.   
Then it is ready for the rest of its life, which is a secret yet to be told by the future owner/collector.

Care?  An occasional coat of beeswax or furniture polish will maintain the luster and enhance the grain.