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             WOOD               

The slide show below has a cross section of ways I have worked wood in the past ten or so years.  The story is not yet finished.  As long as the forest grows wood, there's a chance I will put my chisel to it at some time or another.
The first item in the slide show shows a face I "found" in a chunk of hickory that had been damaged at some time by fire-- perhaps a lightning strike.  I kept the outer parts, for history's sake.  The face weeps sometimes and sometimes she looks.       I hope you enjoy glimpses of wood items.  The slide show will change from time to time, I reckon.  Susan

ADDENDUM:

  The story of how I came to be carving wood
in about 2012
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Mango Roughs, private collection
Silk Purse has had new raw product come in by shipment and by personal delivery from my favorite "culls" collection.  This means there are quantities of bowls, urns, vases, dishes, and even chunks of reclaimed teak wood hanging around asking to be inspected, sorted into groups depending on what needs to be done to them, and the R & D department, ( i.e., 
  me...often in the middle of the night).. trying out ideas to make super lovely objects out of what might have been firewood!.  The painting above I made from a photo of raw product before it even "had a life."  I have not had any pieces like these come into my possession, but one can hope.  Meanwhile there is a nice painting in my studio inspiring me.  





BOWLS AND DISHES

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And the table is full of freshly contoured Mango bowls where I have taken off the damaged bark lip and then painted the insides brilliant glossy red. 

One of these bowls recently made a front page appearance in a well-read art blog out of an E-zine called Ancient Artist.com 


BOWLS, URNS AND VASES

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The deck table is adorned with treasures -- beautiful objects with a crack or scratch here and there, or a natural fissure or check that might frighten a customer not familiar with the vagaries of wood.  These came from roots of trees-- famously strong because of the interlacing sinews and fibers that make it nearly impossible to "break" these bowls.  

HOW IT WORKS

Turning a cracked or damaged bowl into a new piece of art work involves a lot of steps, usually.  In the case of  Mango pots like the one at left,  involved:
  • removing the old logo, as I agreed to always do. These items would cost at least twice as much on the regular market.
  • assessing the damage and deciding how to use or change the bowl
  • sawing, carving, sanding, or otherwise changing the shape of the wood vessel
  • filling cracks or holes that are not useful or attractive to the design. I use epoxies or fillers with sawdust mixed in often, coloring the "fix" and then sealing it with shellac.
  • decorating the bowl with surface texture, color, leather, metal, beads, or other materials where it seems a good idea.
  • I use a sealer over my refinements, usually shellac, lightly sanded and recoated again, to isolate the final finish from the decorations.  Even so, they are usually recommended for ornamental use only.  For food vessels I use a kitchen approved Hard Wax Oil by Fiddes. or a beeswax and mineral oil combo that is actually edible!! Preferred for salad bowls and such.
  • Signing the work is incorporated somewhere in the process, depending on how the finish will be applied.  You will find SPP (Silk Purse Products) or Sgh (SGHolland Art Studio), the date, location, and a signature, usually, somewhere on the bowl.
  • Then it's off to the market, a rescued-twice item...first from the ground, and then from the "culls" shelf;  now it is a piece of art.

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THE ANCIENT ARTIST