Mike Buss

The burl bowls and cups I make are all very different due to the nature of the wood itself. Sometimes the wood just suggests its own design and sometimes I try to make a particular design come out. I have copied specimens from museums but most often they just happen. I have made a number of beaver "effigy" or "canoe cups". These, and the other smaller cups or noggins were carried by voyageurs and bush travelers held to their person by a toggle pinched under the wearer's belt or sash. They were in easy access for grabbing a quick drink while on the move. I am limited by the availability of burls I can find locally and I have even found some in my firewood pile on occasion. But there is no reliable source so the production of the cups is sporadic. M.B.

Photo supplied by Mike Buss.