Espíritu Bowl

Some projects I start without really knowing what to expect, and the Espíritu Bowl was certainly in that category. Chechen (also known as Caribbean Rosewood, although it's not a true Rosewood) is a very dense wood; while it's not impossible to work, it takes tremendous power to carve by hand. Add to that the round bowl shape, which is already tricky to do by hand thanks to its ever-changing grain direction and difficulty in work-holding, and... well! Let's just say there came a moment I was sure that this bowl would never be good enough to show to strangers. But none of this is meant as a complaint! The moment the character of this bowl started to come through, I knew it would all be worth it. In fact, this is now one of my favorite objects I have ever made. The pedestal-foot shape and heft lend this piece an almost haunting feeling of importance, and the Chechen, though dark in color, possesses a deeply luminous quality—this is why I've lovingly named this bowl Espíritu ("Spirit"). Id