Two-tone Bowl

I had two pieces, so I made them into one piece

I had a beautiful piece of Black Walnut left over from another project. The grain was too nice to toss, but it wasn't quite thick enough to turn a bowl (of the size I wanted). So, I glued it up with a piece of Black Cherry, and voila, a turnable chunk.

I could have turned a simple contour for the side of the bowl and called it a day, but I felt there was more to be said for these two pieces that had become one. I wanted to explore what it meant to give each piece its own recognition, but also acknowledge that they're no longer separate and have become a new singular object.

Unfortunately, I don't have any in-progress pictures for this one, so we'll have to jump right to the finish line.

Artistic thoughts: The notch in the contour draws attention to where the two pieces of wood join, but also demonstrates how the two pieces have become a seamless and single item. The notch creates a transition from the contour of the Walnut to the straight line of the Cherry, as if a new character has influenced the contour in a dynamic way. The contoured rim then harkens back to the Walnut as if remembering it came from a curved past.

As I was expecting, the Black Walnut has beautiful grain and color, as does the Black Cherry piece. It's a lovely bowl that feels, to me, refined and optimistic. I even signed that one.

Hey! Thanks for reading this stuff. Feel free to share this with folks you think might enjoy it, and let me know what kind of stuff you'd like to see more of.