Erik Olofson

After the Butte fire left us with acres of burned manzanita and oak,

I fell in love with the contrast between the twisted and textured outer bark

and the stunning interior of manzanita.

The beautiful red and blonde inner wood, when sanded and lightly finished

to a high gloss simply begs to be touched.

I spend hours hiking the area looking for just the right branches,

working almost exclusively with trees and bushes that have been burned.

I sometimes turn a piece, or use it as a base for the hand carved wooden shells I make.

To view Erik's work please click here