This calabash style bowl is turned from a nicely coloured piece of black cherry (Prunus serotina). The tree its self was standing dead for several years before being harvested which resulted in darkening of the sapwood and producing an array of different colours and patterns in the wood. The outer surface of this bowl was textured with fine horizontal slots, painted with black milk paint and then sanded back to reveal the raw wood in places and emphasize the textured surface. Milk paints provide a durable, food safe, wonderfully tactile surface that still lets the grain of the wood telegraph through the finished piece. Typical of the calibash form, the bowl is slightly enclosed and the rim slopes invitingly towards the interior. The bowl is perfect for serving buns on Sunday dinner or snacks during the big game. Finished with polymerized Tung oil and then buffed to a pleasant satin sheen, this bowls feels as good as it looks.