Sunset At Lost Creek
This piece of Claro Walnut had curls, swirls, flames, a bit of sapwood, a knot, and some dry rot. It wasn't going to be good for a larger functional piece but held too much promised beauty to be cut up for small items. Wanting to keep all of the good, I started to cut away the bad, which, when finished, suggested a direction. When all the rot was gone and the carving was done, the hand sanding, oiling and waxing fanned the flames and brought the swirls and the curls into focus. The carved Yellowheart is more integral than base adding dimension and possibility. But in the end, it might just be about the wood.
Type
- wood
Material
- walnut
Size
- small
Meet the Maker
Donald Burge
Burgeonwood, Inc.
From the first time my first pocketknife slid through a piece of pine and I experienced the smooth surface, the pungent scent, and the flow of the grain, wood has been a source of sensual interest and pleasure for me. My interest in working with wood waxed and waned for the next few decades: I never thought of myself as needing or wanting to work wood so I never sought instruction beyond the required semester of wood shop in junior high. Those periods, however, when I found myself whittling, or carving or even just looking at or smelling a piece of wood knowledge seemed to accrue naturally through my senses. The present period began about fifteen years ago when I accepted a friend’s challenge to design for a function but refused to allow the function to dictate a form, process and product without the greatest possible sensual interest. Now, I have clients that say they can’t help but touch the work; and since I make sure that even the obscured lines of the piece are interesting, some even lie on the floor to get every possible angle of view.