Burl Bowl by Steven Lalioff

Inspired by an early original Native American bowl, this recreation is of black ash burl, hewn to almost 12" in diameter. Working in burl has become my favorite hobby, by "hobby" I mean to say that it is not something that I do to generate an income but done just for the pleasure of creating. After 30 years of seeing my work go out the door upon completion, it is gratifying to save a few pieces to enjoy for myself.

The effigy head on this bowl is no larger in size than a cherry tomato. Working on such a small scale, a finial flick of the knife can dramatically alter the expression of an effigy. What adds an ineffable quality to this bowl is the way the grain of the wood has given the effigy a mouth, it is nothing I have enhanced, nor was it something I could have anticipated or planned for....it was just there, waiting to smirk back at me.

What I find fascinating about abstract Aboriginal works of art is the quality of surrealist Modern Art they possess. Perhaps I should say that the other way around; often, Modern Art by design attempts to capture what Aboriginal people express intuitively. Is this our effort to seek Paradise Lost that our wilderness once inspired or do we as modern humans still have within us the same spark of emotion that has run in us throughout time? Recently, I toured the African gallery at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and there I found an early 19th century abstract sculpture that bore all of the semblance of an Alberto Giacometti sculpture. Perhaps both artists arrived at thier expression independently, but the sculpture brought to mind a quote I once read by Picasso. After Picasso toured the prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux in 1940, he declared with awe: "We have learned nothing." I would humbly suggest to Picasso, "we haven't forgotten everything."

It's been an almost abusively long Winter...but I have been more inspired to create this year than I can ever remember.

Copy by Steven Lalioff and photos by Karen Abercrombie.