Reaching For The Stars is a continuation of my Starfish series. It features an open top and bottom which creates lightness and lift. It is a gift to my daughter, Carlye and son-in–law Frank. The size is 7.5 tall with a 5 inch diameter at the top.
Inspiration
Inspiration for Reaching For The Stars is Mother Nature. I came across a pile of starfish on the shoreline. This was one of the rare days when searching for beach treasures I was rewarded. I gathered them up and took them home knowing that someday I would be able to make something worthwhile. The first piece in the series is a bowl. It was also one of my early attempts at carving and is still one on my favorite pieces. Here is the link. Starfish Bowl
Process
The process is to trace the starfish onto a thin wood vase with the tips slightly touching each other. Then I carve away all of the negative space just leaving the starfish. I continue carving, sanding and refining each starfish. The next step is Pyrography which is a wood burning technique. This technique creates the stipple texture and the line details. Remember those useless wood burners from the boy scouts and girls scouts. Now there are professional tools that allow artists to do realistic illustration.
Studio
I design and produces all of my art in Montvale, New Jersey, USA. The primary tool that I use is the wood lathe. I am addicted to peeling away layers of wood and watching a wood block take on the form I am pursuing. Once he form exists will most likely spend many more hours at the workbench refining the piece. It is a form of meditation where the hours melt away and the object takes on a life of its own.