I met Shaun at an art show, where he expressed great interest in a mid-size segmented vase. He promised he would commission me to build him a vase before the year was out. Beginning October 31st, we worked together to design a size, shape, and color palette to his liking. Two months later, the project was finished.

This is the largest vase I have built to date. The glass insert is twice the diameter of the inserts I normally use, since one of the main design requirements was the ability to hold a bigger than usual bouquet of flowers. This required a structure that would be sturdy and stable enough to contain nearly a gallon of water.

As for the woods we chose to use, the Oak Burl body has numerous natural flaws that were intentionally included for character. The Bloodwood in the three feature rings is about the most beautiful natural red wood I have come across. I love using Ebony, as it is almost pure black, and is always a nice accent. Texas Ebony's deep and varied browns are very nice, as is the Peruvian Walnut I just recently discovered. Another new-to-me wood is the White Maple, which is in the accent rings. It is not as stark white as the Holly I've used in the past, but I think the color of the White Maple looks better with the rest of this particular palette.