Turned Bowl

Apricot is a fruitwood. Dense, fine-grained, and rarely available in sizes large enough to turn. This piece came from a tree in the estate orchard that had fallen in a winter storm.

The grain is wild where branches once grew, swirling in patterns that no other wood quite matches. The colour ranges from honey to deep amber, with darker streaks where the heartwood meets the sapwood.

Fruitwood turnings are rare because the wood is rare. When an old tree comes down, it's worth saving.

The walls of this bowl are a generous five to seven millimetres thick all around. Some find thinner more beautiful, however it is also more vulnerable - sacrificing function over form is not an option. The grain does the talking without compromising usability.

The wide, shallow form maximises the surface area of the grain. The shaped lid incorporates a parallel set of straight edges that break up the circular perimeter of the bowl- inviting us to see the centre of the growth rings and turning it into the main feature. The wood is talking- if you listen, you might hear it.

Finished with multiple thin coats of my own Quinta de Sant’Ana beeswax, buffed between each application.