After my recent bookstand project, I was looking for a simple project to put left-over lumber to good use. These coasters are what I came up with.

A tree is the epitome of a selfless life - it provides shelter and sustenance for decades and it is sad to see any part of such a worthy being go to waste.

In this post I describe a quick project combining cedar, purpleheart and maple. The combination is aesthetically pleasing and can be put together in a few hours with simple hand tools.

I was building this project on a tight schedule and thus things don’t line up 100% - someone with better skills or more time should produce better output.

A new take on old things - Peacock with scroll ornaments. Laser etched on birch.

I finally put together my first complex woodworking project with moving parts. The result looks gorgeous to me - I have rarely seen 3 woods with such different textures complement each other so well.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend came up with a challenge. Produce a low-cost, minimal flower-vase.

Tada!

Just finished this segmented vase. Combining a traditional Chinese style with Victorian ornaments. . . . #wood #woodcraft #woodworking #chinese #british #rose #roses #victorian #art #artist #artprocess #crafts #craftmanship #laser #lasercut #flowers #flowervase #vase #sanfrancisco #sfbayarea #bayarea

A post shared by Shriphani Palakodety (@life_of_shriphani) on Jun 3, 2017 at 12:35pm PDT

I just finished a new piece - peacock - laser etched on birch wood:

Just finished this piece - peacock. Laser etched on wood. #peacock #wooden #wood #woodworking #sketch #art #artist #artprocess #artist #ipadpro #henna #india #egypt #tattoo #lineart #woodcraft #painting #pyrography #birds #ipadpro #digitalart #laser #lasercut #lasercutting

A post shared by Shriphani Palakodety (@life_of_shriphani) on May 4, 2017 at 10:09am PDT

The peacock is India’s national bird, features in marketing copy for a couple of Florida counties and is the de-facto ruler of a county in the LA area.

As a bird, the peacock is rather unremarkable - it has a voice that inspires no positive feelings, it can’t reach great heights when it takes flight and it can’t cover long distances. It has widespread popular appeal merely due to its looks.

The superior appeal of the visual permeates all aspects of life - architecture, music videos, election campaigns, software, tools, apps - you name it.

Man will put up with anything if it just looks good.

I just finished this new piece. Smaller versions were made for friends’ birthdays. The larger version was etched using a laser cutter on this beautiful piece of birch I found.

New piece! This is a baby elephant drawn in the style of a traditional Indian tattoo and the whole piece is burned on wood with a laser cutter. Had a lot of fun making this guy. #instaart #artist #lasercut #lasercutting #babyelephant #art #wood #woodworking #elephant #henna #india #indian #woodburning #burn

A post shared by Shriphani Palakodety (@life_of_shriphani) on Apr 10, 2017 at 7:29am PDT

I just finished a new art project: Coasters with the cartouches of my favorite pharaohs + the backing digital sketch.

In chronological order:

• Menes
• Sneferu
• Maatkare
• Akhenaten
• Ozymandias (Ramesses II)
• Alexander
• Ptolemy
• Cleopatra

I just finished this piece:

Incredibly stoked to show you guys my next piece. This is Pegasus in black acrylic on white acrylic. Exploring some themes from Ancient Greek pottery in this piece. #art #artsy #pegasus #acrylic #acrylicart #equestrian #horse #ancientgreek #artist #artistsoninstagram #flyinghorse #blackandwhite

A post shared by Shriphani Palakodety (@life_of_shriphani) on Feb 24, 2017 at 9:42pm PST

The making of:

Installed this new piece. Seahorse in gold and blue on canvas. #spraypaint #sprayart #art #artprocess #artist #artistsoninstagram #artwork #artsy #painting #paintingwithatwist

A photo posted by Shriphani Palakodety (@life_of_shriphani) on Feb 12, 2017 at 10:31pm PST