At Home in the Woods: Ash
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Ash as a tree grows straight and tall and as a wood is creamy blond. Its year rings tend to be uniform with the heart close to the center of the tree.
A Touch of Imagination uses these characteristics of ash to advantage. I made a prototype in aspen prior to making this piece to see how much could be removed before there was a failure. As it turned out, quite a bit could be taken away without a serious compromise. In removing the wood, I took advantage of the consistency of the rings. I made an effort to show how round the tree is. But the primary reason was to show the inside of the vase without asking the viewer to look straight down into it. A Touch of Imagination was a NICHE Award finalist in 2011. The Key to the Universe looks at ash in a slightly different way. Here I accent the year rings by removing the soft cream-coloured center. In doing so I have created a piece that is amazingly consistent in appearance and can be immediately identified as ash. |
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