Brian Davey, Escher inspired box (RECYCLED & RESCUED 2023)

Photos:

Brian Davey

Country:

Australia

In 94 I saw a picture in a fine woodworking design book of an Escher type fish pattern. After some thought I came up with these intersecting birds. I tried the design back then with the original scrap of paper remaining pinned in my workshop for nearly 30 years. A scroll saw makes a seemingly impossible process, possible. The red cedar timber is from an old and damaged chest of drawers that our neighbour discarded, the Kauri from a dresser that was in council clean-up. Great timber, but I was surprised by some hidden nails that made sparks and mucked up some blades, but that’s a downside of recycled timber. The repeat of the bird pattern for the handle and the lift point of the tray are a pleasing touch. I finished with a couple of coats of shellac as a sanding sealer and then several coats of Scandinavian oil applied with a cloth and later steel wool. Final tactile layer is bees wax.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.