I was given a slice of Bog Oak maybe 10 or 12 years ago by a friend and have intended to create something beautiful with it ever since. This year I decided to finally make the first cut into this precious ancient Oak. As a material it has intrigued me since I first moved to Sligo 21 years ago. The idea that a tree could be largely preserved for millennia in bog land and still hold so much of its character is fascinating to me.
On this project, I took my lead from the wood, no designing or sketch pad. Sometimes the material tells you how it wants to be worked and on these occasions you have to follow its lead. Gold and Oak are two very strong and honest materials and so these where the only things I wanted this piece to covey.