The Natural Rhythm of Things

There is a rhythm to life that is a guiding map. Act with kindness and receive kindness, give respect and be respected, be spiteful and you won’t receive forgiveness, etc. It’s karma, yin and yang, the rule of nature. Our biggest obstacle to following this path of harmony is pride and ego. Most want to force their way and be right, rarely do we accept error or simply say “I was wrong”.

Similarly, there is a natural rhythm to woodworking. You bend wood in one direction and it wants to go back to its original shape. Don’t take care of wood (or yourself) and it loses energy and shows aging more. Treat what you are working on with care and there is more chance for it to turn out better. If we simply try to impose our will on it and force it to become something it is not, then it’s likely to form cracks later in life or to twist out of shape and become uneven. Simply listening to what the wood is saying will ensure harmony of design. The wood will guide its shape and give hints when to sand more or where to begin curving a piece. It is amiable but silently suggests what to do through its woodgrain and its resistance to the knife.

Our Curve ring embodies that natural rhythm. Its form is effortless and balanced. The curve moves left and must then go right. The long sweeping surface on one side creates a short, compact surface on the other side. Without much imagination you can see the rolling waves of the ocean, the ebb and flow of energy, give and take. Making it is a time-consuming process because the wood prefers to slowly come into shape…