Object ID Number: 2016FFDJ2

Object Number: 2016FFDJ2

Notes: Although I continue to be interested in using woodturning as a shaping technique, the pedestal table shown here reflects my current investigations into wood as a material. Part of my “Beyond Burnt” series of furniture designs, the form is relatively simple, allowing the unique surface quality created by flame on wood to predominate. The torch scours the surface of the wood, incinerating the surface sugars, blackening, and highlighting growth patterns. Crisp edges are softened irregularly, glue lines strained by the effects of heat and uneven drying. The laminated end-grain ash on the top reflects the effects of scorching, then scrubbing with a wire brush. A surface treatment of pigmented wax highlights gridlines, cracks, and the natural geometry of the wood, creating a strong visual and textural statement. The new work grew out of a successful collaboration with Carrie Compton, a student of mine at Santa Fe Community College. We share an interest in blending the technical aspects of woodworking with the intuitive, working with common wood species in unexpected and unconventional ways. Through experimentation, we developed this process that expresses the essential “treeness” of growth rings, structured by refined woodworking techniques. The work retains an element of risk that challenges the precise engineering inherent in fine woodworking. In a parallel way, the interactions with and influences of students, fellow artists and educators, curators, and clients continue to shape my work.

Artist Statement:

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