Yakisugi Bowl from Ash 

Size - D 34cm x H 11.5cm 

Finish - Tung Oil and Waxes 

A new shape I’m rather obsessed with. A gently curving base meeting a slightly inward facing sidewall. I’m always tweaking designs for how they function or appear on a surface. For this design I love how the base of the bowl lifts the piece off the table yet visually anchors it, together with the reflective quality of the light off the exterior. 

Treated with a food safe product so would be perfect for serving a large salad or use as a fruit bowl. This aims to be a piece of functional art but it is understandable if you wish to use this purely ornamentally. 

Sourced from a huge limb of an ash tree which came off in high winds a few years ago within our woodland.

I’m really trying to make the most of this ash wood while we still have it. As such I’ve continued working on these yakisugi pieces and they have come to be a bit of an obsession, really fueling my creative expression. 

‘Yakisugi’ is a Japanese method of wood preservation using fire, dating back to the 18th Century and often used to treat the external wooden cladding of a building. 

Here I’m using Ash which has an open grain structure and the rapid springtime growth is far less dense than the later summer growth. This burns more easily and so when brushed down creates a beautiful texture all over the surface. 

After scorching, the pieces are meticulously burnished using a stiff brush, removing loose char and bringing the surface to a slight polish. 

All pieces are stamped with my makers mark, a very subtle ‘H’ on the underside so as to not detract from the beauty of the object. 

- Tung Oil comes from a nut so please be aware if you have a nut allergy. 

- do not let fruit rot in the bowl 

- hand wash / wipe down only