Making ART: My Wife's Walnut Jewelry Box

in #art6 years ago

"The steeples swam in amethyst, the news like squirrels swam."
- Emily Dickinson -


I love working with my hands.

In this article, I wish to share with you one of the most beautiful things I have ever made. It is my magnum opus in the realm of sculpture.

Note: If you click on the images I've created for this article, you will be able to experience them in their full-sized format.


~Walnut Jewelry Box~

by Duncan Cary Palmer


Memory can be tricky.

I don't remember exactly when I began carving walnut. I think it was my late teens or early twenties. Somewhere along the way, I discovered that walnut is a fine grained hardwood that carves and sands very well and takes a fine, oiled finish. I also love the odor of the shavings when they are burned. And, while I'm carving, my mind goes to a very comfortable maker space...

When I was in grade school, I was intimidated by the artistic skills of some of the other kids in my class. When I tried to draw things, I was very unhappy with the results, and soon gave up trying. To later discover that I could work with wood and carve beautiful things was a very pleasant surprise.

I've never carved anything representational in a detailed way. My carvings have always been functional and aesthetic. I've developed a general style over the years that typically includes a smooth, three-point base for stability.

From time to time, if I had a crush on a girl, I found myself carving her some small trinket—a candle holder, or a ring, or a little treasure box. Then I met my wife, and we fell in love.

lid00.jpg

An unusual piece of rough/smooth green stone... Original image by @creatr

After we had agreed to marry,

I was on my own downtown one day exploring a tiny curio shop, when I discovered an unusual piece of stone. The stone had a remarkable deep green color and unusual texture. Its surface was simultaneously rough and smooth.

I had been nurturing an overwhelming desire to present my wife with a special work of art as a wedding gift. As I hope to demonstrate, finding this exceptional chunk of God's creative handiwork was my inspiration to design and create what I am about to show you.

My wife and I went for a holiday in the countryside.

We stopped in at a barn/shop along the way that featured wood carvings. I spotted a pile of walnut logs under the stairs, and the proprietor agreed to sell me one. Part of that chunk of tree trunk became the raw material for a jewelry box.

wood.jpg

Lovely wood for a lovely lady. ~ Image courtesy of jools_sh

The photo is not of my wife, but the model with her long, chestnut hair reminds me of my wife around that time...

Up to this point,

my wife had no idea what I was about; it was still my secret, yet to be a surprise to her. This made it a little easier for me to work on the project without having to hide my every move. I remember using a power saw to roughly cut the shape of the box out of the heart of that walnut tree trunk. I intentionally retained a rather interesting knot in the wood, still visible in the photos to follow.

My memory is a little dim,

but I believe I completed the task and presented my wife with her gift of a jewel box before we reached our first anniversary some forty five years ago. The rest of this story is mostly a series of images of my work.

Here is my wife's jewelry box,

seen from a few different angles and in different lighting conditions:


<<<-Drag to SCROLL Left and Right->>>, CLICK for full-sized image. All Art and Images by @creatr

     
<<<-Drag to SCROLL Left and Right->>>, CLICK for full-sized image. All Art and Images by @creatr

When you remove the mysterious piece of green stone,

you expose the underside of the lid, revealing a glittering array of rich, purple amethyst crystals.

lid01.jpg

A rich array of purple amethyst crystals... Original image by @creatr

I lined the box with a bit of fur.

As things have turned out, the jewelry box is more of a sentimental work of art to my wife than a functional implement. Characteristic of my life thus far, I've never quite completed fastening the fur to the inside of the box.

both00.jpg

I lined the inside of the box with a rabbit skin. Original image by @creatr

In the next image,

you can see a groove I cut just below the level where the lid is seated when the box is closed. My plan was to use some kind of rubber o-ring material to jam into the groove, fixing the lining into place. My backup plan for the interior finish was to make a lining out of purple velour.

guts01.jpg

Groove for attaching a lining. Original image by @creatr

I left the interior rough,

because the plan was always to line the box with fur or velour. I had hollowed the inside of the box mostly by hogging out the wood with a drill press. In some of the photos, you can still see the conical shape of the drill bit tip.

Getting the lid to fit closely with the wood was an interesting, iterative process. I just kept going back and forth, removing a little bit of the walnut at a time and testing the fit. I also very cautiously trimmed one or two bits of the geode edges to achieve a snug wedge fit between the geode and the walnut.

My goal was simple:

I wanted the finished work to seem to be of one piece, and to have the appearance of what could be a naturally weathered, partially rough and partially smooth, rounded object.

I love the geode's green color and rough/smooth exterior texture in proximity and simultaneous contrast with the velvety smooth, dark brown grainy oiled walnut surface finish.

fit01.jpg

A close look where edges meet. Original image by @creatr

To conclude my story,

I'll leave you with one more "slide-show" comprising the remaining images I curated for this article. I hope they give you a sense of my functional/aesthetic style.


<<<-Drag to SCROLL Left and Right->>>, CLICK for full-sized image. All Art and Images by @creatr

                 

<<<-Drag to SCROLL Left and Right->>>, CLICK for full-sized image. All Art and Images by @creatr

I hope you've enjoyed these photos.

Thanks for having a look at my artwork, and let me know if you have any questions.


A Thank You shout out to @breezin for sharing the HTML tip that enabled me to present some images in slide-show/slider form.


~FIN~


Important Note: My articles often contain hot links to supplemental information. While they aren't essential, you may find added value by following them. Most images also link to useful or related information or articles.


This story also appears on my Whaleshares blog.


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That is a truly beautiful creation @creatr, and a great example of the beauty of a piece uniquely hand made... the best of what creating is all about.

It's also a great statement about love; a reflection on a time where — when we loved someone — we would make them something, not just buy them something.

Beautiful story!

Hello, my old friend in new clothing...

Thank you very much for the kind and encouraging words. I'm glad you enjoyed my story.

I'll check out your new account here.

@creatr You have received a 100% upvote from @botreporter because this post did not use any bidbots and you have not used bidbots in the last 30 days!

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Very impressive, that took a lot of work, and ,totally unique.

Thank you very much, my friend! :D

a beautiful objet d'art, my friend :)

Thank you John.

I still wondering what it like to be

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What a sensational piece!

Thank you so much! :D

i love the story - i love the gift - i love you both!

now... you found this geode like this? or you grew the crystals on the underside of the rock?

we did that before - with a geode making kit - very fun! hehehe

gorgeous - i can't believe that you fit that top together like that - wow!!!! that is for sure a labor of love!!!!

p.s. might we changing the week for my visit - would that be better for you two?

Thanks...

God made the geode, just like you see it (well, this is a piece of it...) It is real quartz/amethyst stone...

I don't know our exact sched right now; we're hoping to visit friends in Mexico this month.

I hope things don't conflict, would love to see you... :)

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