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Hollow-Turned Vessel with Bark Inclusion
Pennsylvania Black Cherry Root

Many have asked where I find my raw material; well, here is a good example of a cherry rootstock that ended up as this unique hollow vessel. The wood was originally obtained through friends helping their neighbors clean up after a severe summer thunderstorm here in Western Pennsylvania. The storm uprooted an enormous Black Cherry tree, leaving parts of the root structure exposed; we got to it before the tree-removal company did. Working on a root section is very labor-intensive due to deposits of soil, sandstone and sometimes clay - as was the case here - but there is the reward of finding great looking pieces unobtainable elsewhere.

When turning a new piece such as this I will allow the wood to influence my thought process, which permits me to make adjustments as I move through the creation process. With this philosophy I'm able to incorporate bark inclusions, voids and other "imperfections" - as found in this piece - into a perfect wholeness and stability of form.