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PINK-MOUTHED MUREX
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This Seashell Pattern is copyrighted by
Phoebe & Steven Crosby, a mother/son artistic team. Pictured above is
the first execution of this original pattern, conceived in its most basic form
by Phoebe, then re-drawn and finally crafted with his creative genius by Steven
Crosby. The right-hand photo best portrays the actual wood colors of the
piece, while the angled view in the left-hand shows the depth-of-field
characteristics of the piece.
This work was done in a Three Dimensional Format, while
using three Wood-Working Techniques. The basic outlines of the shell and
backing, as well as the cutouts of the various colored wood interior areas were
done Scrollsaw fashion. The throat and mouth areas' shaping, fitting, and
sculpturing employed Intarsia type techniques. The outer shell body was
done with techniques more like Carving, using rotary hand tools, to give it a
layered/recessed/depth-of-field look overall.
The work utilized a number of different wood species to
achieve the desired color outcome. The throat of the shell was done in
Black Walnut. The outer mouth/lip area of the shell was done in Cherry.
The main body of the shell was done in Birch. The entire shell was backed
with Poplar to hold all three shell pieces in place while supplying the mounting
tabs. The combination of wood types was chosen to best portray the colors
involved in this species of Seashell. The free form mounting base was made
from a nice piece of Spalted Apple Wood.
The shell portion of the creation is 7" Long by
just over 5" High, with two tab extensions on the back piece to facilitate
mounting into the base section. At its thickest area, the shell section is
approximately 3/4" Thick. The Freeform Base is roughly 8 1/2"
Long by 5 1/4" Wide by 1/2" Thick, with a beveled top edge.
This original piece was given as an appreciation gift
by Phoebe Crosby, to Randy Brennan of Conyers, GA
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