Firekeeper

Two pieces of driftwood, found separately, that turned out to be waiting on each other.

One came out of the water shaped like a torch — tapered, banded, built to be held. The other broke into narrow tongues at one end and read as nothing but flame. Put together, they are the thing neither one was alone.

Both pieces came from the inlets along the North Carolina coast, pulled from the water on shrimping runs. The forms are exactly as the water left them — nothing was carved or reshaped. What was added is the finish: the torch and its twine banding are hand-painted in metallic bronze, the flame in metallic reds and oranges, so the piece reads across a room the way it read on the shore.

It is then set into a deep handcrafted pine case, stained near-black, which does what a frame does — holds the light out of the background so the flame is the only place your eye can land.

Hangs or stands

The case is built to work either way. Stand it on a console, a mantel, or the floor, or hang it on the wall and let it read as a panel. At nearly three and a half feet tall it will hold a wall on its own without anything else around it.

Wall-mount ready, hardware not included. The case is built to be hung, but we do not include hanging hardware — a piece this size should be mounted with hardware rated for your wall and anchored into a stud. Any hardware store can match it to your wall type, and your installer will thank you for asking.

Details

• Dimensions: 15½" W × 6¾" D × 41 5/8;" H, including case
• Materials: Two pieces of natural driftwood, hand-applied metallic bronze and metallic red-orange finishes, bronze-painted twine banding, handcrafted stained pine case
• Displays freestanding or wall-hung
• Origin: The inlets and coastal waters of North Carolina
• Permanently mounted within the case
• One of a kind — this piece will not be repeated

Found, then finished

Most of what we make is left exactly as the water made it. This piece is different, and we want to be straight about that. The wood was found, not carved — but the color on it is ours. Two pieces the tide never introduced were brought together here, and painted so that what we saw in them is what you see.

Care

Dust with a dry, soft cloth only. Do not use cleaners, polishes, or water on the painted surfaces. Keep out of direct sunlight, which will fade the metallic finishes over time. For indoor display.