A beautiful writing desk made from mesquite boards
that did not match up to the grain patterns I was using in the University
of Texas “Longhorn Round Up”. I am not going into the
politics and demands that underlie the name of this piece but will
just leave it as the scraps or left over boards from the commission.
The top is from four boards all matching, cut from the same part
of the same tree. Each of the joints between the boards is unique
and quite irregular. The assembly of each joint is an 11-step process.
The natural cracks occurring in mesquite have been filled with clear
polyester. The cuts on the legs are polished showing the oranges,
reds, browns, and yellows of the heart of the salt cedar. Where
the legs are not cut the deep grooves of the hundred and fifty years
of weather are revealed. They are attached to the table with a bronze
and steel bracket that the top of the leg has been mortised and
set into. Every leg has a different size and shape. They are juxtaposed
curving in different directions and may appear to some people to
be moving. The supports under the table are 2 inch thick pieces
of mesquite cut into curving rib shapes. One rib runs down the center
of each section and has three or four others connected to it at
different angles. The are all screwed to quarter inch thick by four-inch
wide flat bars of bronzed steel. When this assembly is connected
to the table, the steel part inlayed one-quarter inch in to the
bottom of the table, and with the allusion of the leg movement it
takes on an appearance of animal ribs.
For a more detailed description of this sculpture
please contact hank@chronicart.net.
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