walnut 2021 –

Oh, its still fresh! It kept its moisture because the bark was still on. And it smells so different than the alder.

Its difficult to assess the form because it does not stand upright. The basis is lopsided. With the help of some leftover pieces I can make it stand, though its wobbly. I like to put them upright because I can better understand its form that way, walking around it.

 

 

It seems I became an expert on removing rot.

 

 

 

 

 

I could see this spot on the base and at the lowest branch but id didn’t stop there. Step by step I followed the dark stuff inside and realized only late in the game: it went through the whole piece to the top and branching out to each branch as well plus to some other places! So instead of using the branches as expressions to the outside – as I usually do – I removed them and turned them into holes. At the same time I kept the overall form in mind and made conscious decision where to break trough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is interesting to see the form that developed out of this process. Without the necessity to remove the rot and the infestation of “something” inside it the piece would have developed in a very different direction. I started in that direction – the initial idea – and then diverted from it by necessity. A new experience.