Oak Sclupture

I found this piece of burr oak as I was splitting firewood earlier this spring. It flew about 20ft away from me when the larger piece split. As I was gathering the rest of the split wood, I looked to see if any chunks looked interesting. I didn't see anything until I literally stumbled over this piece. The dark Iowa dirt on one side created a beautiful contrast with the natural oak grain. That gave me the inspiration to ebonize one side of the piece and the top of the base to recreate the differing colors.

It stands is about 2 feet high and the base, made from reclaimed rough sawn oak, is 5" X 5" and about 2.5" high. The perfect way to see and hold this piece would be to come down to The Mansion at 2801 Ingersoll in Des Moines where I will be doing a turning demo from 10-6 on Friday and 10-4 or so on Saturday....see you there!

Spalted Hackberry Form

I uncovered my last piece of spalted hackberry that my dad gave me a couple years back in KS recently. I wanted to do something a bit different with it and this sculptural form is the result. It stands almost 20" tall with the ebonized rough sawn oak base included. This lacquer finish came out fantastic and really gives the incredible spalted wood some great depth. (Best seen in person!)

To see this piece along with many others in person, head down to The Mansion at 2801 Ingersoll this Friday and Saturday and say hello while I conduct a woodturning demo. I will be turning bowls, vases, and many other unique forms right in front of the store. The Ingersoll Ave. sidewalk sale will also be going on so come shop, eat and drink all weekend long!