The Wild Edge Collection - Scottish Burr Elm Vessels

There’s something intrinsically exciting about the grain patterns you find within the burr of a tree.

Like a Rorschach or ink blot test, what you see hidden within the swirls and lines is deeply personal.

Different people notice beauty in different sections, as their own lives, memories, and experiences are mirrored in what they interpret.

There is, of course, beauty in the perfect and flawless. But there’s a more visceral kind of appreciation for what is unbalanced, blemished, and raw.

This small collection of Scottish burr elm vessels has been incredibly rewarding to create.

The forms are simple - it’s the grain, and the natural stresses that shaped it, where the real magic lies. My goal was to present this beauty of nature in an elegant and unassuming way. To let what was already there shine.

Why Burr Elm Is Rare

Elm was once a familiar sight across the UK, but Dutch Elm Disease changed that.

Since the 1970s, millions of trees have been lost, and today only a fraction remain. That makes elm timber rare enough - and burr elm even rarer still.

Burrs form when the tree grows against itself, creating chaotic knots and swirling grain that no other part of the tree can replicate.

They’re unpredictable to work with and prized for their character.

When a piece of Scottish burr elm finds its way into the workshop, it feels precious — too precious to waste.

The Challenge of Making

Working with burr elm is unlike turning straight-grained oak or ash. The grain moves in every direction, bark pockets open up mid-turn, and what looks solid can suddenly crumble.

It’s a constant balance between control and letting the wood do its thing.

I’ll admit, I was nervous not to mess these up. With a timber this scarce, there’s no second chance.

Every cut had to be considered, every surface carefully sanded. The edges were left natural - live, jagged, and wild - while the bodies were shaped smooth to bring out contrast.

The result is a collection where the form is mine, but the character is entirely the tree’s.

Beauty Over Function

Most of my work has a clear purpose: bud vases for dried flowers, bowls for the table, trays for everyday use. These vessels are different.

They aren’t watertight, and they’re not designed with practicality in mind.

They’re sculptural objects - created to celebrate the material itself, to show off what time, stress, and growth have written into the wood.

Sometimes it’s good to step back from function and let beauty lead.

The Wild Edge Collection

This is a limited series of five vessels, each turned from Scottish burr elm.

No two are alike. The live rims are raw and untamed, while the grain swirls in patterns that shift and change with every glance.

Because of the rarity of the material, this will be a one-off collection. When these five are gone, they’re gone.

Burr Elm Vessels

Making these vessels has reminded me why I started turning in the first place - to step away from screens, to work with something real, and to let nature lead the way.

I hope I’ve managed to capture some of that in this collection.

And I hope, when you look at these pieces, you see something of your own story reflected back in the grain.