Two jointed pieces of walnut for the Shanghai table
The walnut for this table was from a supplier in the north of England that I visited on one of my searches for interesting timber. It was a whole log that had been cut into slabs with the internal surfaces revealing a lot of shakes - cracks and splits - caused from the shock of falling to the ground, probably in a high wind. These cracks and splits had then weathered to a rich black.
I was not sure what I wanted to do with it at first, it was such a beautiful wood, so I started to experiment with clear resin, filling the black cracks and splits. The results are stunning, the resin with the black weathered background reminds me of intense pools of dark deep water, the resin also holds the walnut in position stabilizing it from any further movement.
The No 1 of the edition of 2 tables is to be shown at Design Shanghai in March 2015. No 2 is still to be made, this will use the last of this beautiful timber.
