cutting boards A NEW BEGINNING and A BEAUTIFUL WOMB / Esherick museum /2006

I began to think of design concepts as it is always my first thought to go a little outside the box.  Keeping the functionality is important but pushing form is always priority.

The first piece I designed was based on a poem I wrote called A BEAUTIFUL WOMB.

I wanted to create a four-sided cutting board that could be viewed as a sculpture when not in use.

I wanted to also draw the viewer into the center or "womb" part of the work as the outside carved mahogany spirals into the center of the box that contained sharply cut pieces of Lacewood that grew smaller towards the back of the work.

A NEW BEGINNING.

The second piece I created was based off another poem I wrote A New Beginning.

This piece featured the anticipation of an awaiting hand as a sphere is about to drop. The sphere acts as a locking mechanism when the cutting board is in use.

The hand was the first "realistic" carving I created and over the next couple years I would do variations on the theme of the hand, but I really loved how the work came out and so did the Esherick Museum....