Several months ago I started blogging about making platters – selecting and sourcing wood, turning, design, carving, inlay, airbrushing and finishing. I had just come back from Olympia, WA with lots of nice round blanks of big leaf maple, and promised to post pics of new pieces “soon.” Not sure if 8 months counts as soon, but here they are! Actually, the pieces were done a while ago. I still have some that I haven’t taken pics of yet and some more pieces that I have roughed out and need to let dry, but for the most part I just got sidetracked…..
Anyway, here are two of them. I’ll post more over the next few days/weeks…
This first one is called Fo (Buddha or Buddhism). I liked the pattern in the piece at the top and the hole on the left side. I added a touch of airbrushed highlights to complement the inlay and add shading to bring out the texture of the piece, which was left rougher than usual. The character is done in a bold abstract style that is quite unusual. I often do variants of this style/character because it is so dramatic and free-flowing.
This next piece is Chandao ziwu – The Way of Zen: Self-Enlightenment, which basically is the idea that the way forward is through meditation or figuring it out on your own rather than through the teachings of others. The natural contrast between the darker and lighter areas made for an interesting canvas. The calligraphy is done in an unusual classical style.
As you can see from the back, the wood itself is beautiful. I suppose it would make a lovely platter if just left natural. But I like calligraphy! And carving and inlaying is fun.
It’s also fun to find ways to display the pictures in a way that is both functional, giving the viewer a sense of the size, and complements the pieces aesthetically and thematically. (Etsy requires, or highly recommends at least, that you include pictures of the piece in their natural settings).
The first piece has sold already but the second piece is still available at my Etsy store ZenWoodArtCreations https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZenWoodArtCreations.
Have a great day – and keep turning!
Randy