Jay McDougall

The process of creating these hand-sculpted vessels begins with acquiring logs from local trees that have fallen to disease, death or human encroachment. I have never felled a tree for the sole purpose of gathering material from my work. The tools I employ follow a progression of refinement that is reflective of the work in progress. I begin with logging equipment (a chain saw, winch, can’t hook and steel-toed boots) and culminate with my bare hands, a cotton cloth, oil and wax.

I never approach a log with a specific finished form in mind. Every one of them holds several forms that are held secret and only revealed by getting inside of it. Once there I travel with the material on a journey the goal being to not totally tame or break it, but rather to merely slip a harness onto it and lead it with my hands to a beautiful and respectful form. I strive for purity in my designs where less can be more, and have achieved the discipline required to resist overworking the material.