Remembrance

This is a piece I completed in September, 2007, but I never posted the pics. The title is "Remembrance" in honor the the ginkgo tree that it came from. Check out the back cover of the next issue of The American Woodturner for the complete story.













This was a very challenging project on several fronts.

1. Ginkgo isn't a very nice wood for turning.
2. It's not all that great for carving, either.
3. Navigating in 3D on this layout was mind-boggling.
4. I've managed to lose my free time for woodturning and finding time to do this kind of work is harder and harder lately.













The piece is about 9 inches in diameter. The glass stand was made by Adam Kaser. The photography is by Jerry Anthony.















This is the starting form - not much to look at, but the potential was there, that's for sure. I wanted to have a lot of options for how I placed the leaves.






Three rims going in different directions, plus extra thick walls. It takes a lot of planning and initial shaping before starting the design layout.










You can see how thick I left the wall to give me a lot of room to add movement in the carved leaf.











Add hours and hours of detailed carving and it all turns out ok. I hope the piece sells. It's currently at del Mano gallery, but should be coming home very soon.