"Russian Roulette” - Large Bowl, Russian Olive Wood
This 7.75" W x 3.5" H, large bowl in Russian olive wood is a magical piece. Russian Olive wood is an exotic wood cherished by wood crafters far and wide for its beautiful grain.
With olive wood, you never know the type of swirled grain you are going to get until you start turning the piece. Plus, Russian Olive wood can literally explode on the lathe during the turning process due to the extreme difference in hardness from the lighter grain to darker grain. It's like playing a game of Russian roulette every time the bowl turns and the carving tools touch the surface.
Thankfully, this bowl turned out perfectly. It's a true stunner with its gorgeous swirls and whirls.
Fun fact: Ron actually grew this tree from a sapling on an acreage he lived on in Southern Minnesota. The tree grew big and strong over the 40+ years that he lived there. Then, one day a big storm took it down. Ron saved every log from that fateful tree even bringing the logs with him when he moved to the Missouri Ozarks. He has been using it piece by piece in various wood vessels ever since. This particular bowl is one of the largest and most beautiful he has created out of Russian Olive wood.
Whether you fill it with Russian rubles or fresh fruit, this bowl would make for a gorgeous dining table centerpiece or a guest room art piece.
Either way, its definitely a conversation piece and a memorable bowl.
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Each of our vessels are hand-turned solid wood by artist and craftsman, Ronald Leach. The wood used to create each piece is carefully selected from trees felled by storms or other natural occurrences.
Ron's work has an element of "wabi sabi" - the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection. Each piece highlight the knots, burls, cracks, worm holes and crevices in the wood. It reminds us that we are all but transient beings on this planet and that our bodies, as well as the world around us, are in the process of returning to the dust from which we came. Celebrating the rustic beauty of imperfection makes the march of time more enjoyable.
