Making
wooden boxes came as a complete surprise to me. I
have always loved and collected them, but considered wood a hard and angular
medium – much like glass, which I attempted and discarded. Fabric was always
my medium for artistic expression. My
husband, Jim, was always the woodworker. He had made some beautiful boxes for
me.
Then I found a book
that explained the techniques for making wood boxes with a bandsaw, and was
entirely intrigued that a box could be fashioned in such a way. So, I bought the
book for Jim. He wasn’t nearly as
excited as I was.
At the time the
bandsaw was not a tool with which I was familiar; but I did know my way around
the scroll saw. I started making tiny
boxes using the bandsaw techniques. They
were ridiculous little things…but I was hooked! It was an easy step up to the
bandsaw.
While
I was delighted to learn the ‘how’ of making the boxes, I was not impressed
with the examples. When I started to design my own works, I wanted each piece to
be meaningful, to evoke a positive feeling or pleasant memory.
Making a box that is both fanciful and
functional poses interesting challenges, in design and in execution. Matching
the shape with the wood is always an exercise in patience and imagination.
At times, the spirit of the wood, its grain
and organic anomalies influence and inspire the shape of the box. Other
times, the shape is the inspiration and a glorious piece of wood must be found
to fit the vision. Often, there is the balancing of both forces.
The woods of choice have been pine and
butternut. Pine has such beautiful knots, streaks, and grains. Butternut
has a lovely warmth and friendliness.
All of these bandsaw boxes
are my original designs, individually handcrafted by me. All
boxes are treated with a natural or tinted penetrating resin, and then
finished with a three-stage wax process, the final stage being carnuba.
The resultant finish is smooth, durable, and appealing.
This
gallery represents only some of my designs. My complete portfolio is
available for viewing only by account holders.
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