Mute Music

This piece, as with many, all started with the piece of wood. In a little local wood store in the Barrio section of Carlsbad, CA, there it was. The proprietor had just found some wood that was cut in a local Eucalyptus grove close to a mall in the area. The piece was a very rare cut. Why the piece was even saved could be a question? You couldn’t make any utilitarian thing out of it, a table or a bookcase. I had it for over 3 years, as the piece dried in my garage.

The wood is extremely hard, and dense. It weighed a lot for such a small piece of wood. That was a dead giveaway for how hard the wood is. I started by shaving off the back section in order to reduce some of the weight. It still weighs 23 pounds, including the base.

I carved out the inside of the piece, and made a hole that gave me the impression of a musical instrument. I added three pieces of brass rods to further that impression. I stained the inside carved piece to stand out from the lighter wood. The back is also stained. I left the back of the piece in its natural state for contrast, and showing the history of the tree somewhat.

This piece will be one of three in a series. The other two pieces will be smaller, one made of Torrey Pine, and the other Walnut. Each will be unique, but will be obviously musically connected.