Thread: Bug Bowls

Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen

A few weeks ago, my 18yo daughter expressed an interest totry doing some pyrography. Hmm, I don’t have a pyrography machine, but a goodmate of mine does, so I borrowed it.
I turned a bland chunk of pine to use as a practicepiece. It would be fair to say that mydaughter is normally not very artistic, and she would be the first to admitthis.
Anyhoo, she drew some simple drawings and writing, nothingwhich impressed me, but I was glad she was in my workshop, and we were chattingand she was happy. So for the next few hours, I turned pens, she drew randomimages.
I re-sanded the pine dish a few times as a fresh blank. Allof a sudden, she said ‘What do you think of this?’ It was a dragon fly. Wow,simple, but I really liked it. Okay, I said, now do 10 of them the same. Shedid. Wow, I really liked them.
Next, I turned a few wide rimmed platters for her toembellish. The first one I did, I left the chuck attached in case it neededre-sanding if it wasn’t acceptable. The first platter had 17 dragon flies, Ireckon they looked great!!!!!

We have now done 4 wide rimmed platters, 2 in Marri (one really curly which thephoto does not do justice), one in Sheoak and the last one in super curlyJarrah, my favourite one she has done. Neither of the photos really show thegrain and colour that well, but I hope you can see the dragon flies. The Marriplatter has a little surprise, a small caterpillar crawling out of the gumveins.
I really enjoyed working with my daughter on these platters,she insists I must turn more, oh well, whatever I have to do to keep the familyin the workshop.
She has since decorated a small bowl by adding numerousjellyfish on the outside, I like it, she doesn’t. She does seem addicted to thesmell of burning WA timbers though.
I have co-signed the platters and added her details, evengiven her top billing.
I hope to purchase the pyrography tool from my mate. He hasnow shown an interest in using it after seeing her work
Sincerely
Willy