Silver Bullet
The Silver Bullet the art of turning and/or sculpting wood is a truly unique and somewhat rare art form. But Dwight Bennett takes woodworking to a totally new dimension with his distinctively delicate inlay of silver, which give the appearance of being fused into the wood as if occurring in nature. The technique is one that he developed over a five year period with assistance from metallurgists, ultimately perfecting it to such a level of excellence that his creations are breathtakingly elegant and possess an almost timeless aura Each sculpture or vessel glimmers with precious metal sparkling in the sunlight as if the wood itself had turned to silver.
Dwight Bennett has seen many changes in his life. His budding career as an athlete was dashed by a severe automobile accident. He then turned to teaching art along with coaching track and field. This gave him time to pursue his own woodworking artistry. One day while working a piece of wood he noticed a flash of light as the pies was turning on his lathe. Much to his amazement a silver bullet that had been logged into the wood somehow had infused itself into the very grain of the wood. The effect was so striking that it set him on a new path, one in which he ultimately developed the technique for alloying a special silver that can be cast and is then sufficiently mutable to be worked into the many fissures and cracks that are found naturally in wood. The process is laborious and involves taking the sculpture or vessel and making a mould to which the silver is ultimately cast. Then each pies of precious metal must be polished and smoothed before being fitted into the wood. The final process requires numerous oil applications followed by hand rubbing to achieve the smooth and mirror like finish that gives his creations an ultimate glow and the illusion that the silver is part of the very fabric of the wood.
Dwight Bennett uses only the finest quality materials such as Mesquite oak, Iron wood, olive and exotic hardwoods. The blending of wood grain and silver is a wonderful combination that enhances the striations and colorations of the wood. He notes, “As wood dries it grows old. Mother natures caricature slowly creeps out. I like to take this caricature and create from it. My role is to define and shape these areas and thus illuminate, if you will mother natures birthmarks. By using my inland silver technique I feel I have achieved this end….the silver seems to give my work a sense of harmony and flow, and at times a sense of electricity and life.”
When people see his work for the first time they are awes by the intricacy of the silver inlay. Lending such grace and drama to his sculpture or turned vessels, which would easily stand alone as magnificent without the addition of the finely detailed metallurgy. His work has toured the country as well as Europe, and has continued to enthrall his collectors: most often having them ask questions of how. “The how is the most powerful and grabbing force for an artist to achieve. If we as artists can get the audience to wonder how, the rest of the who, what and why will follow, keeping them looking forever.”
 Updated November 10, 2009 |
|
