These three shrink pots and a bowl were all made from trees/branches that fell in the woods around the house.

1: 6″ high x 3 3/8″. Cherry with subtly faceted surface. The rabbeted lid is from a chunk of oak burl with the weathered natural surface of the burl on top. The texture is wonderful and reminds me of the surface of turbulent water. I had been holding onto it for years and thought it made a great complement to the character in this piece of cherry tree. There’s something about it that reminds me a little of Lyle Lovett.

2: 5 3/8″ high x 2 1/2″. Maple with a little spalting. A rabbeted lid turned from a burly bit of found oak. The pin knot inspired me to carve a ring of chip-carving around it. Might be a nice size for holding salt or loose tea.

3. 5 1/4″ high x 3″ x 6 1/2″. I mentioned this piece in a previous post . The side branch led me to the design. I left the natural surface below the bark and shaped the rim and did a bit of chip carving to suggest a “Shrinkmunk”.

And a bowl:

I roughed out this cherry bowl in January and wrote a post about it, including a little video of some drawknife work as I prepared the blank. It’s all finished now.

I’ve carved this leaf motif in various forms on several bowls over the years. This time, I painted the leaves with milk paint then rubbed it back slightly to highlight the high points of the carving. The contrast between the the paint and the surrounding wood will be enhanced as the color of the cherry deepens over the coming months and years.

11″ long, 6″ wide, 3 3/4″ high. A lot of carving in a small package.