Combining Wood and Stone in Art

I've posted before about a great friend of mine who does artistic woodworking. While chatting with him on the phone a week ago, he told me about a new technique where he makes a wood filler paste out of crushed minerals and applies it to the cracks in the wood he's working with. After grinding and polishing and sanding, it looks like this.

As always, Brent has produced something spectacular.
Here's his description of the piece.

Chechen burl, wenge, maple burl, lapis, turquoise -- 10 inch diameter, 6 tall When I turned this chechen burl I unexpectedly found a lot of voids and holes, so much so they comprised the structural integrity of the bowl. I needed to fill them with something that would help hold the wood together. This "filler" is crushed stone, lapis lazuli and turquoise, which is held in place by epoxy resin.

One of the cool things to me was the way the wood cracked in fractal shapes, giving it an almost psychedelic appearance. I've known Brent for over 20 years and he never ceases to amaze me with one clever and unusual idea after another.

Brent's website is filled with wondrous works of art. Go take a look.