Image: Spalted maple bowl
This piece is 11" across and 5" high, a beautiful example of spalted maple.
Spalting is the process of decomposition which begins in wood as soon as the tree dies or falls to the ground. In the early stages, the process results in discoloration to much lighter color than the normal maple color, and also produces black lines at random throughout the area of decomposition. By letting the wood dry out, this process stops, and the resulting bowl is often a beautiful color and pattern.
598x400, 44kb