Dance of the Deep is one of my largest, deepest, most experimental pieces! I am in awe of how it turned out. There’s something to be said for not giving up when the going gets tough.
For about four weeks I was trying to figure out the right steps to Dance of the Deep. Every varnish needed twice the time to dry. My local weather, during those four weeks, was varied to the extremes. One day it would be sunny and 65 degrees out and the following day there would be a blizzard with 10 degree nights. I have no way of currently battling this issue. My little shop is not in a controlled environment, but I kept my patience and didn’t give in!
I think it ended up being around two days spent trying to sand it all smooth. As you can see, I changed tactics and made the decision to add a deep texture to the “underwater” surface. I was pleasantly surprised with the texture. To me, it replicates the ripples of light that you see when you open your eyes underwater. It’s perfect and remarkable.
But I’m bias! 😉
Dance of the Deep is being gifted to a husband with a love of dolphins, stingrays and the call of the ocean. Since my art tends to lean more towards light and slightly feminine, I used the darkest stain I had to blend the cinnamon color of the varnished Russian Olive into the almost black bark. It created this almost perfect gradient between the dark lines of grain and the water. When the light refracts off the points of the texture, you can almost see the sea creatures movement.
All The Trust In The World For Dance of the Deep
I had complete creative reign for this design! Thankfully, I received a budget, and since this is a heavy, large slab of Russian Olive, I wanted to keep the design relatively simple in order to remain within the limit! I planned on a super deep carve that would let me play with the simplicity without being boring. A few mistakes occurred, but I was able to keep my creative hat on and go with the flow. Sometimes, what you have planned isn’t as good as what ends up happening!
I went through half a dozen ways of hanging Dance of the Deep before landing on the more simple, but stated knotted rope. I was unable to find a dark rope in my local stores, but I think the natural sisal rope is actually growing on me! It ties in the nautical and rustic appearance quite well without destroying the meaning.
Hopefully the piece speaks to the owner as much as it did to me while bringing the design to life.
We all have that one place that brings us some peace. Dance of the Deep might not smell and sound like the ocean, but it sure reminds you of the feeling of water rolling over your skin as the light refracts under the surface! 🌲
If you’re looking for something that has other living creatures, check out the meaning behind Into the Depths, Enchanted Deer, and Mr. Bumble!
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