Tom Young Koa Bowl with Pewa 2″H x 6.25″D $190

Description

Tom Young Koa Bowl with Pewa 2″H x 6.25″D $190

About the Artist

Tom Young is a member of The American Association of Woodturners and a charter member of the Honolulu Woodturners Club.  He is self-taught, beginning in 1990 to turn bowls from local Hawaiian woods and selected other species.

Tom’s bowls are typically about 1/8 inch thick.  The larger the diameter of the bowl, the thicker the walls.  The bowls are sanded with 1000 grit sandpaper, and finished with multiple coats of a Danish type oil.  After that the pieces are polished using Tripoli and White Diamond, and then finally coated with carnauba wax and buffed.

Artist Statement

“I consider my pieces artistic woodturnings as opposed to utilitarian.  They are thin, consistent throughout, and finely finished. The shape flows and does not have any abrupt changes in the curve. While some of the pieces may also be useful, they are made as a visual and tactile art form.  They are things to admire on a shelf, on the table, or in a collection. They are things to be picked up and caressed.”

Koa

Ancient Hawaiians were using the koa trunks to build waʻa (dugout outrigger canoes) and papa heʻe nalu (surfboards).  The reddish wood is very similar in strength and weight to that of Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). Koa is also a tonewood.  Ukuleles, acoustic guitars, and Weissenborn-style Hawaiian steel guitars are very often made of Koa.

The koa population has suffered, though from grazing and logging.  The largest koa grow in wet forest areas and many of those have been logged out. Koa now comes largely from dead or dying trees or farms on private lands.

 

Weight and measurement in the ‘additional information’ tab includes packing for shipping.

Tom Young Koa Bowl with Pewa 2″H x 6.25″D $190