Bill Luce - Dyed Bowls

Bill Luce Woodturner

Dyed Bowls

Featured Piece

Celebration Bowls

The following bowls are part of an ongoing exploration of the relationship between visible wood grain and the overall impact of certain forms. My primary focus is this exploration of form; the surface manipulations are merely vehicles to further study variations in these forms.

I discovered that shapes similar to those I sometimes create in plain woods often didn't work as well when I manipulate the surface of the bowl in certain ways. I think this phenomenon is because the the organic quality of the piece is sometimes actually increased through the sandblasting and dyeing (which is sort of ironic), and therefore the shape itself is required to be less artificial and more organic to be successful.

Naked. The title refers to the way in which this piece suggests to me the human vulnerability that goes along with exposing our soul bare with no pretense or self protecting defenses. Part of the power of this piece is the subtle variations in the color of the wood, along with the white wavy grain lines. Glassbeaded and bleached ash.

Elm bowl with slightly roughened grain lines by sandblasting, then dyed a matte black to accentuate those lines. The orientation of the bowl in the tree and thus the orientation and spacing of the grain lines in the bowl is critical to the power of the piece.

KOHTPACT. One dyed and one bleached, go to here for more discussion.

Sandblasted and dyed honey locust. Essential to this design is the orientation of the grain lines in the bowl as well as the uneven rim which is the natural edge of the tree without the bark. Note the small vertical line near the rim is a natural variation in the wood.

This curly Big Leaf Maple piece has been highly bleached. Notice the textured rim due to the rippled surface of the tree. This surface is the outside edge of the tree immediately under the bark.

The grain in this elm piece has been lightly burned with a micro-torch to only slightly enhance the pattern of the grain, and the bowl was then dyed. Due to the relatively subtle grain , the wide growth ring spacing, and the delicate nature of the bowl itself, the overall effect is of quiet elegance. The groove near the rim works on this piece because of this subtle grain. The full and rounded lower curve here along with the straightening sides (and the subsequent openness of the form) complete the statement.

This bowl has been sandblasted and then dyed, natural edge and all.