A year-long journey from tree to vessel
The Process
As it often happens, on the way to the grocery store, Kurt asks Melody to pull the car over as he spotted a new felled hardwood, perfectly ripe for the picking. Melody gives him a hall pass on the groceries so he can head out in his truck and trailer to inspect further. Winching the enormous logs onto his trailer, saving them from a burn pile or landfill, Kurt returns home to start the process of giving the tree its second life as a piece of art.
GATHERING & CHAINSAWING
Kurt works with local arborists to source felled trees from our urban forests, some of which are 100 years old or more. Kurt and Melody believe that these beautiful trees need to be given a second life by rescuing them from landfills, a fate they do not deserve. Kurt gathers the trees and brings them home to their wood shop where the trees guide him to cut the slabs into shapes that will be used for their new purpose – this is where the art begins.
FIRST TURNING & DRYING
Once the slabs are cut, Kurt begins turning the outside of the piece on the lathe - this is how the true form is revealed. He allows the wood to lead him to the shape that makes both him and the wood happy. He continues fine-tuning until the wood settles and runs smooth. After the outside is finished, he hollows the inside and then it's waxed and tucked away for 12 months to dry.
SECOND TURNING & DRYING
After a year of rest, the wood is re-awakened and now has reached a moisture level of 12%. Kurt brings the piece back to the lathe for a 2nd turning to further finesse the shape and thickness. The wood rests for 2 more months before the 3rd, and final, turning. Kurt sands the work to a smooth finish and they are ready for Melody.
CARVING & INLAY
Every piece of wood speaks to Melody and reveals how she will embellish the final work. She studies the pattern of the grain, the gentle feathering, the rays of the wood... Whether she highlights the natural fissures with inlay or creates an intricate pictorial carving – the wood speaks to her. She then selects the gemstones and minerals that will bring her vision to life.
FINAL SANDING & FINISHING
After the inlay is completed, Kurt meticulously sands the glue and rough edges of stone until the surface is perfectly smooth. Each piece is signed by the artists with the location of where the wood was sourced and the date it was completed. It is then hand finished by Melody with many coats of a food safe tung oil before it's ready to live it's second life as a beautiful work of art.
Watch Kurt and Melody produce one of their works of art, from start to finish.
