The Last Liberty Tree

Bowls from the last Liberty Tree -- Patriots in each of the original 13 colonies came together to plot the American Revolution. Often a large tree was chosen as their meeting place, and these trees became a symbol of freedom. The British chopped down the ones they could find, but the Liberty Tree in Annapolis, Maryland, eluded them. After years of exposure to disease, lightning strikes, and hurricanes, the 400 year old tulip poplar was cut down in 1999.

Fortunately, I acquired pieces of the Maryland tree through the kindness of a friend, and have created vessels from the charred remains of that last Liberty Tree. The blacked portion of the bowl is actually the inside of the tree which had burned as a result of lightning strikes and vandalism. The highly figured lighter portion of the bowl is nearer the outer edges of the tree's trunk.

These Last Liberty Tree bowls speak of our forefathers and the struggles they experienced in gaining freedom to form what is now the United States of America. It is an honor and privilege to work with this historic piece of wood and to create pieces that will remind the owner of our heritage.

Natural edged bowls

Working with wood is a joy. My preference is to emphasize the natural forms and embellishments found in the local wood varieties of Vermont and many of my bowls are natural edged, often with the bark intact.

Working with distressed or figured hardwoods including burls, ambrosia maple, and spalted woods fascinates me. Created from unknown origins, burls are highly figured growths that form on tree trunks and branches. Ambrosia maple owes it's unusual striations to the ambrosia beetle which drags a fungus with it as it burrows into the wood