Round Hollow-Form Vase

No. 1 of 4 pieces from the same log.

This piece was crafted from a Silver Birch log that my daughter discovered in the park opposite our house. Despite its substantial size, about 3 feet in length and too heavy for her to carry, she persevered and rolled it home, arriving somewhat exasperated and humorously grumbling about child labour (she was 19 at the time).

The log’s core had completely rotted away, and it lay untouched outside my workshop for several months as I pondered its potential. One evening, while watching my wife knit, inspiration struck: I would transform this log into a wool/yarn bowl. The initial plan was to carve a slot for the wool in the black resin section. However, the finished product was so beautiful that I couldn’t bring myself to alter it further.

The appearance of the wood is unlike any other species I have worked with. It lacks a uniform pattern or grain, but it’s precisely this lack of uniformity that contributes to its unique beauty. This piece stands as a testament to the unexpected beauty that can emerge from the most unlikely sources.