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# 351 |
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Bill Tilson |
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Huntsville, TX |
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| Dimensions
(inches):
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Width:
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6" |
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Height:
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4 3/4& |
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Depth:
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2" to |
| Materials:
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Mesquite burl natural edge vessel with, Marquetry inlay of blackwood, mesquite, and tiger maple; finial of blackwood.
Finished with shellac sanding sealer, sanded, then applied two coats of 50/50 mixture of gloss lacquer and thinner with sanding after each coat. Used steel wool, wax, and hand buffed to a soft satin finish.
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I wanted this vessel to represent a distant planetary nebula in deep space. To accomplish this design, I had to draw from two moments in time. The pattern on the lid is based on the North American Indian ancient practice of arranging feathers in a circle to represent the creator or sun. From pictures of our universe taken by the Hubble Telescope, the “rays” and rings on the top of vessel working with the natural burl and rays of the mesquite represent the visible light, radio waves and gaseous clouds surrounding the nebula. The finial represents cosmic matter drawn to the nebula by its gravitational force. Is the ball at the top of the finial an orbiting planet or comet with tail rushing to become one with the nebula?
Hope you enjoy looking at this vessel as much as I did making it!
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Another picture of the vessel with the lid removed. Here you can see inside the vessel and the thickness of the blackwood used in the inlay along with the reflection of the feathers in the finial.
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This picture gives you a top-down view of the vessel and Marquetry inlay design. Notice the swirling grain and rays with the different colors from the browns, to yellows, back to the black and brown of the bark. I wanted to do this vessel for a long time but couldn’t find the right piece of wood that would remind me of the swirling rings of gas and radiation usually present around nebulas and stars. Think I found that special piece of wood.
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This view gives you a shot of the overall form of the vessel and highlights the beautiful grain patterns.
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The inlay is Marquetry, which is the ancient art of decorating wood surfaces with cut pieces of colorful exotic thin wood, assembled as a design into a single sheet and then glued to a solid surface.
These are tools that I use to develop my inlay pattern. I begin by developing a pattern then selecting the wood to use. Then it’s time to start cutting out the individual pieces. I use a 6/0 and 3/0 blade in a fret saw or jewelers saw along with a ruler and a sharp craft knife. I do apply shading with hot sand to the edges of the feathers to give them a 3D look. Once complete I cut the pattern to size and turn and/or route recesses into the top of the vessel just deep enough for the pattern to fit flush.
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