Beach Treasures
This Blond Sea Urchin Wood Hollow Form featuring techniques that include turning, carving, piercing, bleaching and finally polishing so that it no longer looks like wood and appears to be something that came out of the ocean. The size is a 4.5 inch sphere.
Hollow Form Style
Blond Sea Urchin starts is a hollow form. Hollow Form Turning is a style where the maker fabricates a piece with a small opening at the top. To make a hollow form requires practice and special tools to remove the interior wood. The artist cannot see the wood removal and must continually measure the wall thickness with calipers.
When I had the form complete I spent several days at my workbench carving the flutes and stippling the texture around the top edge. The piece was then bleached and polished. The complete the item now appears as it came from the sea and no longer looks like wood. I have achieved my objective when someone asks, “What is this made out of?”
My goal with this sea creature series is to change the appearance of wood so that it no longer appears to be wood. The inspiration is Mother Nature. At the beach everyone searches to find a starfish, sand dollar or a sea urchin.
If you like this item you may want to take a look at Silver Starfish Wobble Bowl
Gift Ideas
Looking for a one of a kind gift? There are additional items in my Etsy Store.
Studio
I make all of my art in my studio Montvale, NJ USA. My primary machine is the wood lathe which aids me in creating the form. From here I take the piece to the workbench where I will use several techniques to enhance the piece. This may include carving, piercing, pyrography and several finishing coatings.