Keeping Color Alive in a Boxelder Burl Bowl “God’s Rosemaling”

A collection of turned Boxelder burl bowls, 6 to 12 inches in diameter.

Boxelder is the humblest of trees, but it has a secret inside, crimson red treasure. Lovely red, but sadly, the color fades quickly in sunlight. I’ve turned many Boxelder burl bowls but always felt uneasy, though I warned people to keep it from ultraviolet light or the color would fade.

Fresh turned, still on the lathe, unbelievable but fragile color.

 I found a new Boxelder burl tree last fall, the best ever in figure and color, and I knew I had to do better with this one… to make that beauty hang on. I searched online but nobody knew how to preserve the color. Then I read a post by Binh Pho, a famous Vietnamese refugee and woodturner who suggested that you could use an airbrush and transparent pigment to mimic the color tones and shapes of the Boxelder.

 I took his advice and learned new skills to mix colors and wield an airbrush to follow the design of each bowl’s figure and color. My goal was to duplicate the exact original color and maintain it. I love the result.

 As a Scandinavian American woodturner, I call it “God's Rosemaling,” Nature’s rose-painting.

An upright design in Boxelder burl, with airbrushed, transparent pigment duplicating and stabilizing the natural crimson color.