Functional ArtworkWhile I love to carve purely sculptural pieces, I also enjoy making functional ones as well. Functional artwork, such as clocks, boxes and books provide a wonderful platform for exhibiting my style of carving. For example, box sides are made from exotic woods unmarred by any carving while beautifully framing an intricately carved top. Clocks are great fun: the strong radial symmetry of the clock face sets off my organic carving style beautifully while adding a kinetic component of moving, carved clock hands. Handmade books provide front and back covers to display wood grain and intricate carvings, and underlying color can be added by allowing the inside leaf paper to show through a carved hole or fissure. It is also wonderful that these pieces combine art with function, which embraces the underlying objective of the craft movement. Indeed, wood has historically been a favorite choice for making functional items of all kinds, and its inherent beauty, warmth and endless variety cries out to our artistic soul. The clocks use a battery operated high-torque crystal movement, with wood hour and minute hands that I carve to complement the clock face. The jewelry boxes feature a carved top when closed, and carved wood dividers when opened. Finally, the carved book covers and inside paper signatures are bound together with waxed linen using a technique called two-needle Coptic sewing; this intricate binding is done by my wife and collaborator, Kathy Doolittle. |
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