Keyboard Wizardry

This sculpture is 24" H x 16" W x 9" D, made from birch, ebony and mahogany. The "S" curve was made on a lathe. Repeat! It was made on a lathe!

"Keyboard Wizardry" was disqualified from the turning category at a recent show because the smart-ass judges decided it was mis-labeled, and couldn't possibly be segmented turning.

It started out as two bottomless bowls, with 24 segments each, which I cut apart, and reassembled into the 48 piece 'S' - shape you see. The black keys are real ebony (I never use stains) and the base is appropriately a grand piano.

Edited Jan. 24 '08: This work is now on display in the Sculpture Gallery at Rick Stein's Steak House in Dallas. When people ask how I bent the keyboard, he tells them, "The wood came from a rubber tree."

Edited April 2009: Keyboard Wizardry has now graduated in fame and location. It is now on display at Steinway Hall in Plano, Texas. See Gallery for other music-themed sculptures.