T O T E M
Yes, I know it's a bit weird but it's cool too, when you know that it's a family tree.
It was commissioned as a birthday present for the nicest man I've ever met, and was developed from an original idea suggested by his architect wife.
Each 'band' represents a different branch of his family and each icon represents a different member of that family. They each chose their own 'characters' – those that were old enough – some of them awkward... How do you set about carving an 'angry planet'? The trick was to make all the images blend comfortably together – much like a real family.
It remains a work in progress – as more grandchildren appear, the tree is returned to the workshop to record the happy event. Most recently I was asked to depict a dandelion...see if you can read the time of birth.
The copper bowl, made from the top of an old boiler, has a hole in it, plugged with a coin from the Old Man's birth year.
And yes, of course the whole thing rotates.