Friday, April 2, 2010

Bean Pod

Here's another carving: a sashi-style netsuke which I recently finished after working with for a couple of months. The artist Jacques Vesery sent me a box of wood offcuts from his studio a number of years ago. Pieces from that gift- thanks again Jacques!- have been used as details in a number of my works, but most notably in this one. It hit me towards the end of last year that this piece of burlwood would be perfect as a long bean pod. The grain of it suggested something growing organically, and the streaks scross the lower surface reminded me of dappled rays of sunlight filtering through leaves and vines. The details are of ivory which has been lightly colored. As you can see on the back, there's a stink bug with antennae made from boar's tusk, and part of the pod has been cut away to reveal a bean beneath.


I've done several bean pods over the years- they're great to come back to, to gauge one's development as an artist- the form of them can go in lovely, sensuous directions too.


Length- approximately 3 1/2"

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