About a year and a half ago I decided to remove the walnut top on this piece with the intention of replacing it with matching oak. The oak base sat in my studio since then, with no action. I got the itch recently to finish the job. But rather than leave the light colored oak exposed, I decided to take a torch to it to blacken it out. After burning the oak, which already has an open grain, I covered the piece in a white, grain highlighting, finishing wax so there is a subtle contrast of white in the deep grain to contrast the dark black tone.
I wanted to make the change in the first place in response to everyone on here talking to me about what makes a good bonsai stand. I’ve also recognized that a much darker stand makes the tree pop that much more and I think the burnt wood look lends itself well. I will continue to make Alternate colored or contrasting bold stands, but this was a fun opportunity to try out an idea.
What do you think?