Keeping with the natural driftwood look, this piece was worked as little as possible. Some sanding and grinding had to be done to the back in order to make the piece fit flush against the wall, but it has an overall natural driftwood feel to it. On the back of the piece are two keyhole wall mounts.
The total length of the opener is 17 inches (slightly longer if you follow the curve of the wood). At its widest the piece is 3.5 inches. Depth (from the wall to the front of the bottle opening hardware is 3.25 inches.
The juniper for my crafts starts in the Big Horn Mountains in northern Wyoming and southern Montana. The harsh semi-arid environment causes these trees to grow slowly and irregularly. They become twisted and gnarled from withstanding strong winds and brutal winters. After the tree dies (generally they are hundreds of years old), it remains in place for decades until storms slowly erode the soil causing the tree to uproot. It passes through the valleys, down streams, and eventually ends up drifting around the lakes in the area. As the water levels subside, the drifted juniper wood is left on the banks. I scour the banks to find the perfect pieces that can be crafted into function pieces of art. Each piece is custom made with hours of sanding to remove the silvery patina and remnants of bark. Careful grinding and shaping make the lamp fit just right and make sure that all the wood is as smooth as possible.
