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April 18, 2011
This block of cherry was so heavy I had to have Sue help bring it in and
put it on the carving bench. I have flattened off the bottom and marked
the areas I want to save for the feet. |
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Same day but
lots if chips later. It is looking more like a bowl - still pretty
heavy. The chips are drying to be burned later to heat the house. At
this stage I keep the bowl in a plastic bag whenever I'm not working on
it to prevent splitting. Not very elegant but it is the only way I have
found to be pretty sure the bowl won't crack during the carving process
due to too-quick drying.
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May 1, 2011
The bottom is pretty much defined with blocky areas left for the feet. Now
I've flipped it over and have drawn a line around the perimeter to
estimate where the rim might be. The tall blocks I've left are for some
swooping rim extensions I planned on carving into bottom-penetrating feet
as in my previous 'Loopy' bowl. I'll not try to duplicate that bowl of
course but plan on the 'legs' twisting up from the rim and diving downward
through the bottom in a flowing movement. One problem: see that knot in
the right leg-block? I is going to force a change in plans. I'll know soon
how major a change as I cut away that area and reveal the direction of the
knot and determine if it is solid enough to keep.
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May 2, 2011
As they say, "What a difference a day makes". For a couple of reasons the
design of this bowl transitioned to 'one swooping leg' from three. (1) The
knot I mentioned above turned out to not be solid enough to incorporate
into the bowl and (2) The bowl was looking a bit too balanced, not very
dynamic. The rim shape you see here will undoubtedly change as the bowl is
hollowed out. I have left quite a bit of wood for the swooping leg so I
can carve a twist into it, perhaps. I have made at least a half-bushel of
chips so far from this piece! |
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October 2012 Done at last! As you can see, the
bowl finally came around to match my original vision. Smooth as silk, it
is a large bowl at about 18" x 14" by 8". The bowl, currently titled
"Cherry Looper", was displayed at a regional show, Northern Exposure
XIX at the Bonifas Fine Fine Arts Center in Escanaba, Michigan. This bowl, like my
previous bowl "Raven's Nest" seemed to not want to be rushed. I was on my
carving bench for nearly 18 months. Next? A friend just dropped off
several large (12" diam.) pieces of Apricot. I have not carved this wood
before but it looks interesting and I'll get to work on it soon. |
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June 2013: This bowl is now in a private
collection. 
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