More fun with colour

The first bowl in cherry has the exterior finished with Plastikote two-part crackle, Jo Sonja gold iridescent acrylic, and Wood Doc 20. I thinned the gold paint hoping to apply it with an atomiser tube but couldn't blow hard enough to raise the paint. Ha, stuck a dusting needle from the compressor into the blow pipe, turned it up to 80 psi and out came the paint! The softer wood within each growth ring took more paint and added a pleasant grain effect.

The next two bowls are coloured with the Sonja iridescent paints applied by sponge.

The final piece is a small cross grain elm platter with the rim decorated with the Plastikote crackle. (I'm getting better results with the crackle on face grain.)

Cherry end-grain bowl 7" x 5"

Sycamore bowl 7" x 3 1/2"

Sycamore bowl 8" x 5"

Elm platter 7" diameter

Exploring Colour and Texture

I've been cutting a lot of open bowls lately just to have some pieces to play with. Each additional material or technique seems to add exponential possibilities. I'm definitely straying from the adage that less is more.

The first two bowls have Jo Sonja iridescent acrylic applied over a darker undercoat. I've brushed the thinned acrylic at slow and high revs and finished with a few coats of lacquer. It will take a lot of play and experimenting to find a technique that is really pleasing.

The third bowl is cross grain sycamore bowl died with spirit stain and  textured with a Crown tool with a gold gilding cream rub and finished with Chestnut wax.

I think that the direction I'm taking is a result of near constant woodturning for a few years. What matters to me is to stay excited.

End grain cherry
6" x 3"

Cross grain sycamore
8" x 3"

Cross grain sycamore
10 1/2" x 3 1/2"

Toni's sugar pot
Laburnum and holly lid