Star Flowers

The picture for today is of some star flower hot pads (for drinks, or, used in tandem, serving plates on the table or sideboard). They come in sets of four with a little stand to hold them. The flowers are somewhere in the neighborhood of 8”-10” wide and ¾” thick and sell for $40/set. They can be ordered or bought in cherry, walnut, maple or red oak.

Star Flower Hot Pads
Seen in cherry and walnut, 8-10″ diameter x 3/4″ thick

click here if Interested in owning a set

This is a product that gets made over and over again. I have jigs to cut the appropriate angles, and I shape and prepare them for assembly with a sleeve sander and my router table. The crucial thing is to identify the steps and follow them every time.

This aspect of artistic work surprises some people, I think. They expect the artisan to delve deeply into his or her soul for design and inspiration on each piece. These are not like that. Some artisans around me work on pottery with much the same mindset. One cup is like another.

The thing I like about them is not the process; it’s the look of them when they’re made. They are aptly called star flowers. That’s what they resemble, and each species of wood brings out something in the design. They tend to flow all by themselves on the table. Like a figure skater’s jump which, when done well, looks easy, these look like they materialized whole-hog and floated to the surface. They are a joining of nature and super nature.