Floral Relief Carving

      This is a relief carving that will be installed inside an inset ceiling. This was a collaboration between me and my sister Kim Macica. She is a mosaic artist in Schuylerville NY. Click here to see her work and the studio she is a part of. http://www.canalcrossingmosaic.com/

This carving is made of 1″ thick tiger maple and embellished with mosaic tiles. The circle is 4′ wide, so the total size is around 5′ x 6′. Here is the design sketch we went with. circle design

The first step was to prep and glue up all the boards. Next, the circle shape was cut out and the channels for the tiles were created with a router… The negative space was routed as well… This required a very patient and steady hand!

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Next, the carving and sanding tools are brought in to create the forms and clean up any burn marks…

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Next, it was ready for Kim to add her special touch. The customer wanted red iridescent tones for the tiles, and Kim found a perfect match…edited-edited- edited--2 edited--3 edited--4

After Kim finished her work, the four design elements coming off the circle were cut out, carved and sanded…

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Next, the negative space was stained to create some contrast… edited-7871 edited-7875 edited-7877 edited-7879

Next, the satin polyurethane was applied to the whole piece unifying the whole piece with a warm tone while at the same time popping the tiger stripes in the maple…

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From one view, the tiles look like shades of dark red, then from another they come alive with iridescence…

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Click below to see a video of the piece…

Here are pictures of the installation… My helpers for this job were Michael, Steven and Miciah…

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Positioning the template…

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If you have an idea for a custom sculpture visit http://www.customwoodcarvings.com  and click the contact page to get in touch!  Thank you for looking at this post.