Hand Carved Appalachian Wooden Bowls

Handmade in WV by artist Dave Skellion. Dave sources local native burlwood, and hand carves these freeform bowls with variety of “feet” or pedestals that lift the well of the bowl off the surface. He fills voids and cracks in the wood with crushed stone in a resin matrix. In Dave’s hands these “imperfections” become contrasts that showcase the unique character of the natural wood. Dave finishes each piece in lacquer for a warm and reflective shine. He has a gift of helping the viewer discover the quality and textures of each bowl.

These bowls are not turned, they are hand carved. They are not round and uniform, but shaped to highlight the natural growth features of each individual piece of wood. The wood selection is Appalachian wood native to the Mixed Mesophytic forest, the rich, diverse ecosystem in one of the oldest forest systems on Planet Earth. Dave does not cut living trees.

Not all of my wood comes from burls, besides burls I look for any hints the wood will be pretty or interesting– twisty, gnarly, spalted, heartwood patterns, etc. I don’t take standing wood, just what’s downed by storms, or donated. Dave Skellion