George Woollard comments that he is “inspired by the colors, forms and places that he experiences as a Hawai’i resident” and that he is “interested in relating personal experiences to surface materials and levels of meaning.”  With this bench, Woollard has created drama - in the stark contrast between the charcoal black and warm red grain of the wood – and balance between the colors, characteristics typical of his well-known prints and paintings.

The main body is Formosan Koa and the legs are Lychee.  Both of these woods are extremely dense, hard and heavy.  The log was salvaged from the jungle near my studio where it had sat for some 15 years exposed to the weather.  All of the soft outer layers have rotted away leaving the wonderful hard core inner forms.  I burned it some to further reduce everything to the essentials.  I cut away one side to create the seat and expose the interior.  The bottom was likewise cut to parallel the top and accommodate the legs which I made from Lychee.  The finish is Watco Teak oil which penetrates and seals the wood.  This wood has already proven itself outdoors and should last for many years to come.

Click here for another view.  Click here to see view of the top.