Award for Genesis Platter is a commission piece for family honoring their dad. A Cherry Tree was planted by the family and grew at the grave site. Eventually the tree became so large that it began to cause damage near the grave. The son spoke with the authorities at the cemetery into allowing him to secure large logs from the tree anticipating that family heirlooms could be made from the wood.
The son phoned me and asked if I would make some items for his mother, sister and brother. I loved the idea of this important commission. This Genesis Platter was the most ambitious commission to date. It is my interpretation of Life. Starting on the left is the deep ocean, then as we move to the right we see birds as we near land. Then there are the mountains and rivers, rural areas with farms and towards the lower center are the population centers with bridges. Above all of this along the rim is the galaxy with Stars.
All of these symbols are created with the use of pyrography which is a wood branding technique. A red hot wire burns the wood leaving a depression.
Here is the platter for the son. The platter twisted and cracked and I gave it the name Grieving and Healing. This is what I call a Design Opportunity. The unexpected happens and I have to find a solution to make the piece work.
Studio
I received an Award for Genesis Platter at a Regional Symposium in Saratoga New York. My studio is in Montvale, New Jersey, USA. My primary machine is the Robust wood lathe with three horsepower. Once the form is complete the piece goes to the workbench to finesse the item. This platter spent more time at the bench than it did on the lathe. It involved turning, carving, staining and airbrushing.
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