Some pieces of wood seem to bring their own imagery with them. This pair remains one of my favorite examples.
The dramatic black spalting on one of these shot glasses forms two remarkably expressive figures facing one another — a visual that immediately reminded me of a familiar comic pairing from childhood. I can't look at the piece without seeing the personalities in the grain. Turn it around and the same wood becomes something completely different, shifting into flowing abstract lines that resemble smoke, ink, or movement across the surface.
These pieces also mark an earlier stage in my woodworking journey. They were shaped before I began turning shot glasses on a lathe, using an angle grinder and extensive hand sanding instead. I'm still surprised by how round and balanced they became using those tools. Their form, combined with the extraordinary spalting, makes this pair especially memorable to me.
The Spalted Tamarind was vacuum-stabilized before finishing, helping reinforce the highly figured wood while preserving the natural patterns that make these pieces unique.
