Description
Summertime Bowl is part of a series of 40 antique hand painted European and Asian vase and bowl lids that were missing their bases. This lid has been identified as Chinese Export from the 18th Century. The overall size is 4.75 inch diameter by 5 high. The wood is Ash which I dyed red. I then followed the growth rings with a pyrography tip to form the branches and then painted the leaves and flowers with acrylics.
The process to design a wood base it is interesting and challenging. It was a two year journey to develop a new base for each lid as there are an infinite amount of design decisions and choices.
Antiquing Opportunity
This is to story behind the development of these pieces. My wife and I were weekend antiquing and we came across forty Asia and European lids missing bases. This was about to become my first collaboration with artists from the past.
Curious as to why the lids are on display, the dealer explains that traders have drawers filled with lids expecting to find the matching base. I need these lids. Explaining that I am a woodturner I propose to make new bases for the lids. He agrees to sell me eight pieces. I return a few weeks later to show him what I made and gift him the one he likes best. Asking if I can purchase the remaining lids he opens a drawer where they are hiding. He basically gifts them to me with the promise that I show him how the series develops.
Here is a link to some of the other pieces in the series.
Shop Video
Here is a quick video that I made of my studio.
Studio
Like Summertime Bowl I design and produce my items in my Montvale New Jersey USA studio.