Siberian Elm Bowl Inlaid with Turquoise by Kurt Bellock

Kurt Bellock of Millcreek, Utah, owned a successful construction company at the time he visited his uncle in Oregon, where he took a lesson in woodturning. He was inspired to come home and build his own lathes, becoming a full-time turner in the process. He uses felled, dead old growth timber, in this case Siberian elm, with spectacular wood grain patterns. 

Kurt's wife Melody discovered how to inlay carved stone in Kurt's works (the stone is secured with syringe-injected super glue and will not  separate from the wood). On this large bowl she used turquoise to exquisite effect, both in a band around the flat rim and in the natural fissures in the wood, inside and out. The bowl is ultra smooth and finished to a glow with multiple coats of tung oil. 

This artwork measures 14 inches across and 5 1/2 inches high, tapering in a conical shape to a small round base that measures 3 3/4 inches in diameter. The bowl weighs a sturdy 3 1/4 pounds and is in excellent condition---no cracks, no chips and virtually no wear. Kurt Bellock signed the bowl on the bottom, along with "Siberian Elm" and a few other notations. This large bowl makes a wonderful, eye catching centerpiece.   

 

FF 4552