Ash Bowl 6 inches, Dyed Turquoise and limed, #29655

Ash Bowl 6 x 6 x 4 inches, Dyed Turquoise and limed with white wax to highlight the curvy grain pattern.  Item Number 29655.  The Oils in the wood have created a palate of blues in the bowl.

This piece is on display in a special exhibition “The Earth Provides” in the Focus Gallery, upstairs at the Folk Art Center, in Asheville, NC from February 8 through May 5, 2020.  This bowl is only available via this link to the Southern Highland Guild online store, or by calling 828-298-7909, while the Folk Art Center is closed to prevent the spread of COVID19.  Thank you for your support.

Story of the Ash Tree:

Ash is a deciduous hardwood tree several species of which are found throughout our southern Appalachian Highlands region.  Ash is used to make furniture, baseball bats and many other items which require structural strength. Unfortunately, in recent years a pest, the “Emerald Ash Borer,” has attacked the Ash species limiting the life of the Ash trees. We normally do not harvest trees; the bulk of our work is utilizing wood from trees already felled for a number of reasons.  These pieces were created from an Ash tree re-purposed because of the Emerald Ash Borer’s destructive work.

Technique:

These pieces were made from a recently felled Ash tree in Northeast Tennessee.  After being sawn into smaller pieces and sealed with a paraffin-like substance, the wood was stored in our barn.  The wood was retrieved and rounded into a “blank”, then mounted on the lathe and turned into a bowl or hollow form. After sanding, the finished pieces on display require a multiple step process. Several applications of dye are needed for a consistent color and then a single coat of finish lacquer seals the dye.  Next, English white liming wax was applied, then rubbed off, to highlight the soft grain.  Several more coats of lacquer are then applied and buffed with a German violin polish that completes the job.  Enjoy!