Bittersweet Mandolin

Bittersweet Winds Mandolin was created over the course of 4 studio sessions at sunrise. I love to get up early, let my dogs out, get a hot cup of coffee and create while watching the sun come up beyond the far fields of our rural Indiana home. The background boasts a soft swirling oat color while branches, vines and tendrils flourishing with burlap leaves blow by.

In the absence of a dominant green as leaves, the thorns (which are prominent in each design) gain prominence. Each leaf of this design was recycled from a series I did a few years ago to benefit adoption where "many and any" skin tones were represented. The subtle touch from the subtle neutrals combine to create one of the most calming combinations.

This Mandolin series of 40 is a 100% Lost-Tone/New Life & Broken-Made-Beautiful redemption story. Call it upcycling; call it recycling; call it trash-to-treasure, the analogy of reimagining a different purpose than the musical function of resonance breathes fresh air. We all have redemption stories. We all have dreams unrealized. We all thirst for fresh beginnings. We all need a reminder daily that our very lives and souls hold a promise of redemption. Every day is new.

My studio process is an intentional analogy celebrating the ebb and flow of new beginnings. 1st: cleaning the wood surface and disassembling reminders of the instrument's former expected purpose (tuners/bridge/12 strings). My hands touch every square inch to assess unique scars and damage, while most are left "as-is". When structural integrity has been addressed (clamps/glue/sanding as needed), a color scheme is selected based on a relationship among 3 colors that interact organically in nature.

Every work of art begins with a new spin on traditional mosaic. Hand-painted vinyl (sourced from local boat and exterior sign industries) takes a turn on my potter's wheel. 12-15 color-blended concentric circles later, my #11 X-acto blade cuts with precision, assembles with care, and adheres to the fresh surface one by one like a favorite jigsaw puzzle on a rainy day.

Transformation in this series is front-face only leaving sides, back, fretboard/head original. This run of 40 was found to have a faulty inner brace before reaching a retail market. When strings tightened, body cracks emerged rendering the beautiful form un-playable. Art gives new life as interior decor!

Price includes shipping to the lower 48 US. Shipping goes out on Thursdays. *Please reach out for further questions. More will be added to this collection throughout Summer '22 with 1st-release photos and alerts of additions for insiders at the newsletter HERE.