Northern Lights

This platter was made from a piece of Redwood root rescued from the big stumps that were left in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains in California from logging operations there decades ago. The finished piece is 20 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep.

Normally, Redwood is too soft to be used for practical bowls, but this has been hardened by using Polyall 2000, a product meant to stiffen and add strength to punky old boat parts, window sills, etc. The rim was wire brushed. It was then coated with India Ink,, sealed, and rubbed with a white patina wax -- then sealed again. As I was turning it, one of the neighbors came into the shop, stopped, and said: "Northern Lights!". I have not been able to get that image out of my mind and I think it is a good title.

My introduction to Northern Lights was in Timmins, in northern Ontario, where I was born. I vividly remember one cold winter night when my father took me outside to see them. The sky was lit up from horizon to horizon with non-stop flashes and shimmers. Pretty graphic stuff for a five year old. I remember I held my father's hand very tightly that night. I thought that the world, as I knew it, was coming to an end.