Brian Donahue - "Cuban Mahogany Box with Copper and Brass" Wood Sculpture
$450.00
Availability:
In stock
SKU
129742
"Cuban Mahogany Box with Copper and Brass" Exotic Wood Sculpture.
Coppered layered, textured handle with brass ball.
3" H x 8 3/4" L x 5 3/8" W.
Cuban Mahogany Heirloom Box
"Cuban Mahogany" is a common name for the species Swietania Mahogani which is a member of the Rosewood, or dalbergia family of trees. Accordingly, Cuban Mahogany is very dense and tightly grained with incredible figure. During the 18th century and earlier the trees were harvested to near extinction from the Keys. The wood was exported to Europe, used mostly for high end furniture furniture.
Currently Swietania Mahogany trees are protected in the Florida Keys. They may not be indiscriminately cut. Fallen trees only become available after hurricanes or by natural destruction. I personally recovered all of the wood in my collection following multiple hurricanes over several decades.
Freshly cut Cuban Mahogany is light in color similar to Cherry wood, It oxidizes and darkens with exposure to light as it ages. Older logs that have lain dead on the ground for years will become very dark throughout. These are rare finds which I have used in this current collection of work.
Each box has been carefully designed to show the unique characteristics of the wood. They are sanded by hand until a perfect surface is achieved and then fished with hand rubbed oil. I line each box carefully and hand cut high grade leather for the inside bottom to protect valuable contents. The finish will last a life time. Never use any waxes or furniture polish on your box. If it gets marked or dull, a few drops of lemon oil rubbed on with a cotton cloth will restore the finish. Always completely wipe all excess oil with a dry cloth.
I have selected metal which compliments the wood for handles. Some tarnish or patina may develop on the copper or brass which can be left to your taste or cleaned off by gently rubbing with a cotton cloth.
Brian Donahue
Artist Bio
It has been over half a century since Brian Donahue began working with wood at the age of twelve. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University with a major in social sciences. He spent his working career as a sales representative for a major corporation. His wood creations have been both an avocation and a release from the pressure of the business world. He is self-taught relative to his art background and has been showing his work professionally since 1988. In 2006, he developed a back problem and has since retired from art festivals. He now does special corporate or commissioned projects and sells a limited amount of work in a few galleries. In his retirement he has continued to explore new media and projects adding welding and some forging to his skill list. He has devoted time to doing sculptural work in metal and reclaimed materials. He also does furniture projects with some of his material collections, mostly on commission, and can provide references and photos of large work.
Background
While his education and career were oriented towards business, he spent much time honing his craft. A basement/garage workshop that produced furniture, small toys and gifts, and restored a wood boat eventually grew into a large studio and nearly full-time business supplying art shows and a small group of galleries. Most of his wood creations have centered on small boxes. He began with his first one in seventh grade and has done over a thousand since.
With the encouragement of his son, he began working with a wood lathe in 1989, which gave him a new opportunity of expanding the simple box into the concept of vessels. While working to expand his technical skills, he has also concentrated on artistic expression. He has spent thousands of hours working, reading, watching videos, and attending seminars to enhance his skills. He has studied at Arrowmont School and has had the opportunity to work personally with both David Ellsworth and John Jordan. During professional seminars he has had the opportunity to study and interact with some of the true masters in the field of wood turning and sculpture, including Michael Hosaluk, Jacque Vessery, Stony Lamar, Michelle Holzapfel, Arthur Jones, and other gifted artists. Mostly what he has done is spend a lot of time at his workbench in his studio.
Process
Brian harvests or reclaims all the materials he uses. He concentrates on rescuing unique pieces of wood, iron, rusted metal, shell, or stone for his work. He has spent many years cutting and collecting rare timber from Northern Michigan to the Florida Keys, constantly in search of that rare piece of wood whose character will enhance his work. Hurricanes and other storms in the Florida Keys have supplied him with many unusual exotic tropical hard woods. He has rescued many logs which would otherwise have been burned.
For the last several years he has concentrated on developing his skills in metal work, learning to cut and weld all ranges of metal. He has accumulated a significant collection of reclaimed iron and steel artifacts to use in his creations. His taste is always toward organic objects that show a lot of character that can only be achieved with age. Some of his most outstanding work has come from cast off materials from workshops, factories, farms, barns; anywhere he can find the perfect piece of imperfect material.
Publications
500 Wood Bowls, Lark Books.
400 Wood Boxes, Lark Books.
Juried Shows
The Toledo Museum of Art Area Artist Show (8 times, and award winner).
Black Swamp Arts Festival (multiple awards).
Crosby Festival of the Arts (award winner).
Ohio Designer Craftsmen Best of Ohio (2 shows).
AAW International Conference Instant Gallery.
Birmingham Festival.
Charlevoix Waterfront Art Festival.
Commissioned Projects
2007-08 Masco Corporation, Merrilat Cabinet division: Shaping our Future award and sculpture project.
All sales on original artwork are final. No discounts apply.
Coppered layered, textured handle with brass ball.
3" H x 8 3/4" L x 5 3/8" W.
Cuban Mahogany Heirloom Box
"Cuban Mahogany" is a common name for the species Swietania Mahogani which is a member of the Rosewood, or dalbergia family of trees. Accordingly, Cuban Mahogany is very dense and tightly grained with incredible figure. During the 18th century and earlier the trees were harvested to near extinction from the Keys. The wood was exported to Europe, used mostly for high end furniture furniture.
Currently Swietania Mahogany trees are protected in the Florida Keys. They may not be indiscriminately cut. Fallen trees only become available after hurricanes or by natural destruction. I personally recovered all of the wood in my collection following multiple hurricanes over several decades.
Freshly cut Cuban Mahogany is light in color similar to Cherry wood, It oxidizes and darkens with exposure to light as it ages. Older logs that have lain dead on the ground for years will become very dark throughout. These are rare finds which I have used in this current collection of work.
Each box has been carefully designed to show the unique characteristics of the wood. They are sanded by hand until a perfect surface is achieved and then fished with hand rubbed oil. I line each box carefully and hand cut high grade leather for the inside bottom to protect valuable contents. The finish will last a life time. Never use any waxes or furniture polish on your box. If it gets marked or dull, a few drops of lemon oil rubbed on with a cotton cloth will restore the finish. Always completely wipe all excess oil with a dry cloth.
I have selected metal which compliments the wood for handles. Some tarnish or patina may develop on the copper or brass which can be left to your taste or cleaned off by gently rubbing with a cotton cloth.
Brian Donahue
Artist Bio
It has been over half a century since Brian Donahue began working with wood at the age of twelve. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University with a major in social sciences. He spent his working career as a sales representative for a major corporation. His wood creations have been both an avocation and a release from the pressure of the business world. He is self-taught relative to his art background and has been showing his work professionally since 1988. In 2006, he developed a back problem and has since retired from art festivals. He now does special corporate or commissioned projects and sells a limited amount of work in a few galleries. In his retirement he has continued to explore new media and projects adding welding and some forging to his skill list. He has devoted time to doing sculptural work in metal and reclaimed materials. He also does furniture projects with some of his material collections, mostly on commission, and can provide references and photos of large work.
Background
While his education and career were oriented towards business, he spent much time honing his craft. A basement/garage workshop that produced furniture, small toys and gifts, and restored a wood boat eventually grew into a large studio and nearly full-time business supplying art shows and a small group of galleries. Most of his wood creations have centered on small boxes. He began with his first one in seventh grade and has done over a thousand since.
With the encouragement of his son, he began working with a wood lathe in 1989, which gave him a new opportunity of expanding the simple box into the concept of vessels. While working to expand his technical skills, he has also concentrated on artistic expression. He has spent thousands of hours working, reading, watching videos, and attending seminars to enhance his skills. He has studied at Arrowmont School and has had the opportunity to work personally with both David Ellsworth and John Jordan. During professional seminars he has had the opportunity to study and interact with some of the true masters in the field of wood turning and sculpture, including Michael Hosaluk, Jacque Vessery, Stony Lamar, Michelle Holzapfel, Arthur Jones, and other gifted artists. Mostly what he has done is spend a lot of time at his workbench in his studio.
Process
Brian harvests or reclaims all the materials he uses. He concentrates on rescuing unique pieces of wood, iron, rusted metal, shell, or stone for his work. He has spent many years cutting and collecting rare timber from Northern Michigan to the Florida Keys, constantly in search of that rare piece of wood whose character will enhance his work. Hurricanes and other storms in the Florida Keys have supplied him with many unusual exotic tropical hard woods. He has rescued many logs which would otherwise have been burned.
For the last several years he has concentrated on developing his skills in metal work, learning to cut and weld all ranges of metal. He has accumulated a significant collection of reclaimed iron and steel artifacts to use in his creations. His taste is always toward organic objects that show a lot of character that can only be achieved with age. Some of his most outstanding work has come from cast off materials from workshops, factories, farms, barns; anywhere he can find the perfect piece of imperfect material.
Publications
500 Wood Bowls, Lark Books.
400 Wood Boxes, Lark Books.
Juried Shows
The Toledo Museum of Art Area Artist Show (8 times, and award winner).
Black Swamp Arts Festival (multiple awards).
Crosby Festival of the Arts (award winner).
Ohio Designer Craftsmen Best of Ohio (2 shows).
AAW International Conference Instant Gallery.
Birmingham Festival.
Charlevoix Waterfront Art Festival.
Commissioned Projects
2007-08 Masco Corporation, Merrilat Cabinet division: Shaping our Future award and sculpture project.
All sales on original artwork are final. No discounts apply.
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