wood - Damascus Open Studios

Ellie begins each piece by cutting the wood to size, flattening it, and removing all the bark and inclusions. She then lays the wood out in a mold, mixes a clear liquid resin with a hardener, and adds various pigments and mica powders for color and shimmer. She pours the resin into the mold and it fills in all the voids and cracks in the wood. As the resin thickens over about 30 hours, Ellie checks in frequently to add more colors and swirl in designs. After it’s fully cured and removed from the mold she moves on to the power tools and cuts, planes, sands, drills, and then sands some more – often up to 10,000 grit. Finally, a food safe oil and wax mixture is applied to add protection, bring out the grain of the wood, and add a satin finish to the resin.

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Experience leaves marks.

There are pressures we face in life, both externally and from that little voice in our head. My work reflects the impact of those stressors, producing texture and patina on ourselves while we strive to find balance and preserve our essence. My work represents the pursuit of contentment, knowing that these tensions are a permanent part of our journey.

I’ve been working with wood across many different forms for 35 years. I first turn wood on a lathe and carve it into shape with chisels. I turn the wood to 1/8 of an inch thick. Voids are created by hand using a high-speed carver. Black texture is added through stippling using a wire-tipped wood burner. In specific cases, I’ll add paint or metal leaf for additional color and character. Depending on the size and complexity, the time to complete a piece varies between 15 – 80 hours.

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