Elisabeth Arzt

I have set out to participate in some craft fairs for one or two seasons. While I was carving this summer, I developed a love for cherry wood, both in large and small scale forms. I began to make jewelry pieces with the burl I set aside, as well as housewares (mirrors, etc) out of the larger pieces, and below are the results.

Cherry Burl Rings (aka Jupiter Rings):

I've always enjoyed rings with big ass stones, especially the ones you can stare into and get lost because of their intricate detail. Problem is, the bigger and more exotic the stone, the heavier and more expensive. Wood is a simple solution, it is light weight (in small doses) and is available in large quantities. I have been selling these rings for around $25 each, and the band is adjustable. Some of the burl "stones" are set in a copper backing, I also painted some of the backs of the "stones" a sky blue to give it a nice contrast to the copper and cherry. The cherry wood is finished with a clear glossy lacquer.

Maple Knot Rings (aka Knotty Rings)

These rings used the same set-up as the cherries. Some of the knots are kept intact and others are knots cut in half to reveal the intricate formations inside.

This ones my favorite, I think because it looks like a creature from Star Wars

Cherry Burl Pendants I made a few pendants, just to brighten things up. Recently I've been doing a lot of collaging, and I wanted to find a manner in which someone could wear these collages without them being overwhelmingly ginormous. All of these pieces are cherry wood, sealed in a clear glossy lacquer.

Let the collaging begin!

As I was sanding down some of the cavernous "burlier" pieces, they proved to be very fragile and fell apart easily. I could of cut the pieces thicker, but then it would just look like you had a giant piece of wood around you neck, not that it doesn't now, but the thinness of the pieces gives the illusion to an outsider that the pendant may be amber, or some other complex mineral. Anyway, I integrated my sewing skills with the art of woodcraft and created a merriment of contrasting materials, BRASS 'N BURL. They look fantastic together!

What's in the Briefcase? If you make a product, you should also consider what that product will traveling in. Something sturdy that will protect the fragile items you put so much time into. I also considered space and efficiency, the case needed to act as a carrying case as well as a display. I made this 3 tiers suitcase and covered it in images that I've collected over the years. I enjoy covering my stuff with more STUFF, including my car, my laptop, my phone, etc, I guess thats the way my mind works.

The Special Spoon It was my sister's birthday not too long ago, and she gave me the idea of making spoons. Its a big business, spoon makin', and what better kind of wood to use than cherry. It take a lot of time and patience to perfect the art of the spoon; you have to get the ladle to handle angle just right, how much scooping capacity will you endow in the ladle part, and how thick will the handle be. Its a complex art, let alone, science. I was very fortunate enough to find a deer antler lying around, it had a wispiness to it, and it fit snuggly into my hand (perfect handle material). This summer, my sister caught the cat-fishing bug, so I wanted to pay tribute to that. The antler is in the shape of a catfish fin and the ladle is cherry wood. I connected the two using a dowel and bit of wood glue and finished the cherry wood with some butcher's block wax.

She liked her present

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