Inspired by the human form

 
When I decided to make a jewelry box for the Northwest Gallery of Fine Woodworking’s Annual Box and Container Show, I asked myself, “What do I want to express with this object?” I considered jewelry itself and the many ways it is used and perceived: as a decoration of the body, as a marker of commitment or status or friendship, as a talisman, or simply as a form of wealth. What resonated most with me was jewelry’s ability to augment the human form, so I chose to make a box that would reference the sensuality of the body. With this intention clearly in mind, I had the simple mechanism I needed to make each design decision: “Does this element enhance the box’s expression of the sensuality of the human form?”

Looking at the front of the jewelry box, one might see the swollen curves of the hips in its hand-planed and block-sanded sides. Other sensual curves can be found at the base of the box and where the insides of the box are coved. And in the upward-angled ends of the top, perhaps the form of a waist. If I had decided to make the box about the preciousness of jewelry, I might have used a rare or highly figured wood. Instead, I chose Alaskan yellow cedar, because I knew its fine grain would not compete with the shape of the box—and because it is very soft to the touch.

From FWW #268
Photos by Art Grice