Norm Sartorius - Suspension

Suspension – Algertia Burl – Arizona – 27 x 11 x 14 – 2011 - $5600 - Artist Collection. Algerita is a common desert bush near Sedona, AZ. Many stems of the bush come out of a common root ball area. At the surface of the desert where stems and roots meet there often is a beautiful burl. The odd coloring of this wood and incredible grain makes this a joy for a small object carver. In the case of “Suspension”, I began to carve this spoon visualizing the long dark stem as the handle but gradually I began to see that the real spoon handle was the part of the spoon bowl lip that appears to be as if it were being ripped away. This spoon is suspended in its integrated display stand, captured, held, above the surface by the large stump of a broken limb and the springy smaller limb. You must suspend belief to see that this spoon is held well off the surface by its stand, disguised as a handle. Photos: Jim Osborn

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