The character and natural grain features found in wood make it ideal for the production of turned bowls. However, wooden bowls don’t always have to look like wood – well, not completely! Paul uses wood as the base for the bowl and then adds combinations of colour and texture. These work with the natural features of the wood to make every coloured wooden bowl something extra special. The coloured wooden bowls make great features for home decor and interior design.
Using colour to enhance
Generally, the plainer types of wood provide a blank canvas, which allows the colour and texture to enhance the appearance. Figured wood can also work well in combination with the application of colour, which can enhance the figure in the wood.
Gesso textured coloured bowls
The outside of the bowl has a base coat of acrylic gesso which has one of a number of different textures applied. the gesso provides a base for colouring with acrylic paints. The paints are applied and blended with an airbrush before being sealed with a lacquer. A wide range of colour combinations and textures are produced with this method. The inspiration for the first series of these bowls came from colours found in the sky during sunrise and sunset. Paul used the colours he had observed to create a series of bowls and still uses sky colours for some of these bowls but he has further expanded his repertoire of colours.
Other colouring techniques
Some of the other coloured bowls have a simple grain fill to emphasise the natural features of the wood. For others, Paul uses various processes to take the natural beauty of the wood to a different level. The other techniques include dyeing, painting, scorching (yakisugi), sandblasting, pyrography, carving, ukibori and one or two others.
Paul turns and finishes every wooden bowl in his workshop by hand and each one is unique.
Check the woodturning shop for current stock which are available for immediate order. If you don’t see something there to suit your tastes, coloured wooden bowls are available to commission in a wood, size and colours of your choice. Please enquire for prices and availability.