Reflections

“Reflections” is a piece about facets. The different planes have the role of catching light in a variety of ways but also are metaphors for the different aspects of my life. Where the planes intersect are edges that are also lines. These lines are nuanced, they vary in dimension. In this sense, they are colorful, color being the dimensional aspect of the experience. The color theme is repeated in the variety of tones used in the lacquer and in the insertion of butterfly joints into the top surface of the piece.

The obvious interpretation of this piece is that it is a shape that has been painted. The not so obvious view is that it is a container of liquid color. I want you to feel that you are looking into a still pool of water. The lacquer is made from the resin of the cashew tree and I get it directly from Korea where it is used in fine furniture production. The advantage of this material is that it can be applied in thin veils of color that drape seamlessly over the entire surface and dry very hard. Since it is a resin, it can be sanded to an extremely fine degree and polished to a mirror finish.

I enjoy the dialogue between the very hard, dense and heavy Lychee wood and the soft, light, watery feel of the lacquer. Making this kind of work is a lot like painting. The back and forth play of form and color is the same experience I have in composing. It is lines and tones dancing with one another. You might call it a piece of sculpture, but I prefer to think of it as a three-dimensional painting.

I have also gone to great lengths to make the top surface parallel with the bottom surface, thus making the piece flat and level like a table. Maybe you would use it as a table but I just don’t want any of my color to spill out. With art, it is always the end user that has the final say about what it is good for or what it might mean. I accept this, but want you to know that this is still a work of art even if it is useful. It is a multifaceted object both literally and figuratively.