Carved Bowls +
Bowls, trays, and mortar-and-pestles, carved by my hands, to be held in yours. Generally these are one-off designs inspired by the piece in front of me.
Guabancéx Wagatabon | Part of the Wild Cottonwood Collection, this small tray is my take on the Japanese wagatabon. A lovely addition to tea or coffee time, this tray would feel right at home with a small teapot, cups, or small dishes. Carved by hand from a locally sourced Cottonwood tree. In addition to the traditional gouged texture, I have chip carved a design from my own Taíno ancestry into the base—interlocking bird heads representing Guabancéx, the deity of wind and rain and the chaos of change. Finished in a food safe blend of true tung oil and thinned varnish for a timeless, subdued sheen quality.
Pilón y maceta | Boricua style mortar-and-pestle. Today, most of these you’ll find are turned on a lathe, mass produced and imported. As mine was to be handcarved, I decided to find deeper inspiration in the original pilones as crafted by the Taíno. These had a more chalice-like shape than the modern conventional version, and were often huge, rising from floor up to the waist. Their pestles also had a distinctive handle shape that I emulated, and found to be pleasantly comfortable to hold. I think the result is an updated design that feels both ancient and new and honest, and that brings me deep joy.
Espíritu Bowl | Chechen is a very dense wood; while it's not impossible to work, it takes tremendous power to carve by hand. Regardless, the moment the character of this bowl started to come through, I knew it would all be worth it. 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").
Espíritu Bowl | detail
Sapphire Creek Fruit Bowl | This large, one-of-a-kind fruit bowl (or decorative bowl, if you prefer) comes from a Cottonwood tree on our property that died and we had to take down. The piece itself had a wild shape, plenty of knots, and a giant split down the middle—all qualities that carvers tried to avoid (for good reason), but I couldn't resist the feeling of it. The asymmetrical shape seeks to capture the motion of the original trunk; the split has been stabilized with epoxy resin and the edges painted with gold acrylic ink.
Sapphire Creek Fruit Bowl | detail
Bosque Bowl Mini | This little African Mahogany gem is kicking off my Bosque series, characterized by simple form and counterplay between textured and smooth wood. The bowl is food safe and the size makes it suitable for use as a berry or sauce bowl, or as a ring catcher/desk organization, or simply as decoration.
Huracán Bowl | With a shape inspired by hurricanes, this handled bowl features dramatic gouged texture with red ombre paint on the outside. Carved in cherry.
Huracán Bowl | detail
Starburst Bowl | Shallow, elliptical handled bowl carved from reclaimed white oak with a starburst gouge pattern.