{"id":3569,"date":"2015-08-14T08:04:36","date_gmt":"2015-08-14T15:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saintj.com\/wp\/?p=3569"},"modified":"2015-08-14T08:11:35","modified_gmt":"2015-08-14T15:11:35","slug":"living-wood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saintj.com\/wp\/living-wood\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Wood"},"content":{"rendered":"

Living wood on a lathe. I have always appreciated wooden forms created with a lathe. Usually seen at art fairs around Christmas time, it was the shape of these art forms which caught my attention and drew me closer. The wood was beautiful, but it was \"bowl\"<\/a>\u00a0how the shapes were made that had me puzzled. What kind of tools and techniques were used to create them from a piece of wood?<\/p>\n

I’ve diced up wood since I was a young boy at the family cabin. My first memories were use of a two-man saw (I\u2019ve always referred to it as a push-me pull-you), other large hand saws, wedges and hammers. This was for the firewood supply for the Wedgewood stove \u2014 the only means to cook and the fireplace \u2014 the only source of heat. Occasionally we moved whole trees with block and tackle to shore up the road where it had been washed away the prior winter. During these early years I learned to respect the force of a tree. My grandfather always said: \u201cIt has a mind of its own, you will never know what it will do.\u201d This phrase became so true when ten years later my cousin died when his leg was severed by a splintering oak tree he was cutting with a chainsaw.<\/p>\n

As a tree grows, it is stressed by numerous factors; weather, insects, fire, soil conditions and the way its branches grow. These stresses create odd grain formations, stretch marks, color patterns and other interesting \u201cfigures.\u201d These intricate characteristics within the tree would remain concealed if the tree were not cut open and its inner beauty revealed. We take trees for granted. Each species is very different. The foliage, flowers and fruit all vary widely. There are many meaningful differences within the wood as well. The grain pattern and color, the density and the hardness are all very different from species to species, in fact from tree to tree of the same species.<\/p>\n

My work with the lathe over the years has taken me through several phases. Learning tool use and technique to create toys, and fun shapes. Then on to more functional items like bottle stoppers, pens and pepper mills, followed by my original ambition of turning bowls. As my skills improved and I gained more confidence, I began thinking of these objects more as art forms than functional items. I have learned to identify unusual grain patterns and special figure within a piece of wood and shape the wood into an object which best highlights these features. When I begin to work with a piece of wood, it is from a tree whose life is over. I have the honorable task of revealing the inner beauty of that tree, giving it new life which can be shared and appreciated by many.<\/p>\n

I think of parallels with our own journeys. As we grow we are influenced by a multitude of factors; physical, emotional and spiritual, which culminate in the individuals we become. There is an inner beauty given by God within each of us. Often guarded and not easily visible, it is as unique as the individuals we are. We have the honorable task of revealing our inner beauty to others by sharing our stories and our lives with each other. We are also tasked with acknowledging the beauty in others as we see it, so it can be shared and appreciated by all. In this sense, we are meant to be Christ and seek Christ. Just as the woodworker discovers the inner beauty of the wood, through Christ, the world can discover the inner beauty of humanity. We all have a part to play as we live our lives through Christ.<\/p>\n

~Dave Nelsen, Sr. Warden<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Living wood on a lathe. I have always appreciated wooden forms created with a lathe. Usually seen at art fairs around Christmas time, it was the shape of these art forms which caught my attention and drew me closer. 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