The Gathering — Grapevine and Wine-Red Resin Shot Glass

Story / Provenance

This grapevine-and-resin blank came from a small woodworking supplier who dealt primarily in pen blanks. He was also the person from whom I purchased my first professional-grade stabilizing chamber, used, while developing that part of my work. The blank was included in a larger purchase made before he closed his online store.

This is the third shot glass to come from that material. The first two found buyers quickly, both chosen as gifts. This piece was turned from half of the second blank I had kept, with enough remaining for one more shot glass if the wood and the turning cooperate.

Grapevine is familiar for what it produces, but much less familiar as a wood for turning. Once the fruiting years and seasonal pruning are over, the cut vine is often burned or treated as a material of little consequence. In this blank, its knots, branching grain, and irregular cross sections were instead held within wine-red resin, preserving a part of the vine that would usually be overlooked.

About This Piece

One face is dominated by the grapevine itself, with broad knots and twisting wood figure visible through the translucent red resin. Around the rest of the glass, the vine breaks into smaller sections that appear and recede as the piece turns in the light. The bottom offers another view of the material: a fan-shaped section of radial grain surrounded by deep red.

Rounding the blank required a more deliberate approach than wood alone. A skew is my usual tool for this stage because it removes wood quickly while still allowing a light touch when needed. The resin did not slice as readily under the skew, so bringing the blank into round took more patience and control than usual. That contrast between familiar tool and unfamiliar material became part of the making of this piece.

The grapevine was stabilized before being encapsulated in a wine-red, pressure-cast resin blank. That preparation supported the vine’s irregular knots and branching sections while preserving them as visible features throughout the finished piece.

Separated by resin but still visibly connected, the gathered sections of vine give the piece its name.

Details

• Material: Stabilized grapevine and wine-red resin
• Dimensions: 2⅝" high × 2" diameter
• Construction: Hand-turned, one of one
• Blank preparation: Stabilized grapevine encapsulated in pressure-cast wine-red resin
• Interior finish: Walnut oil
• Exterior finish: Walnut oil and microcrystalline wax
• Care: Hand wash only. Do not soak or place in a dishwasher.
• Collection: The Gathering