By Kate Bartlett
Owner and founder of Something Scrolled Wood Art, Emily Theresa has been creating custom designed wood art for over 15 years. No two items are alike as she hand draws her creations on unique wood pieces. Many familiar wooden signs seen around Ellicottville have been created by Emily, including Madigan’s, Katy’s Café, E-Ville Wine and Spirits, Tips Up, and a few signs in Ellicottville Brewing Company. These signs are now cared for by Aldrich Painting of Ellicottville NY. Keeping them in great condition after they are hung.
Emily was inspired to start creating with wood about 15 years ago while working on a job that required the recreation of antique scallops cut out of cedar shakes below a window for accents. This design was no longer in the circuit of building materials, so they required to be cut by hand, or in Emily’s case, by scroll saw.
“My mother owned a Dewalt Scroll Saw, I did not spend much time on it until this job request, after I completed the reconstruction of the cedar shake detail, (oddly for Merle Watt Jr. on a building he reconstructed called the Wild Wood Bar and Grill) I became fixated on working with the saw and collecting multi colored woods from around the world to create landscapes and designs. At one point I carried of 50 species of wood from African woods, domestic woods, highly figured with wild grains and strange pieces from deep in the Amazon rain forest.”
Recently, she was commissioned to create a piece as a gift for Merle Watt Junior (who she completed that first reconstruction project for), a beloved Seneca Native well-known in the Salamanca community who recently passed. “Merle was a great supporter of creative works and his friends who were artists, it was my honor to make this for him, at the request of his good friend Jeanine Caprino Zimmer, Publisher of The Villager”, says Emily.
Emily created the piece to honor Merle’s Clan. “Seneca Indian Tribe Clans are of significance to their culture and devotion to their heritage. I learned so much about the “People of the Great Hill” and took time to research about the Seneca Nation and their history.”
The original plans were for the piece to be displayed at his estate on the Seneca Territory in Salamanca, NY. The generous wood round spanned 3-4 feet in diameter and 8 inches thick, with live edge, meaning the bark and the skin of the tree were left like it was just cut from the base. “I sketched a large bear claw and within it, a bear standing on the ridge with a mountain range in the background and 3 tall standing pines,” says Emily. “The back bone of the bear fit perfectly capturing a knot in the wood and naturally took on some beautiful wood grain, if you look closely it’s like a sun burst on the bears back.”
After working with a hand router for the basic design, Emily uses a Dremel and various carving tools to detail the textures throughout the piece. “Sometimes the tools “buck” or twist and turn through the wood in an unexpected manner, and as meticulous as I am, I try to consider that this is just what the wood is telling me to do. I just go with it and make it part of the layout.”
The pieces are finished with 6-8 coats of Marine Grade Polyurethane, taking about 1 week to set. Some pieces evolve as they’re created depending on the wood grain and other factors. “Each piece of wood is very different, and sometimes the grain of wood dictates the design. This piece for Merle was meant to be, and was consistent from the start.”
It took Emily about 200 hours over 6 weeks to create the piece. The wood was gifted to her from a local post man who happened to know of Emily’s projects. “It’s interesting where my wood pieces come from. I’ve connected with a few local farmers, saw mills and Amish who have gifted me unique pieces. This piece in particular was found by a local postman who came across the dropped tree during his route. I’ve had it for 8 years, waiting for the right project to come along.”
She typically creates about 6 pieces per year, as she is busy with her newest venture, Lucky Day Homestead’s matters as well as her other hobbies throughout the year. Other happenings at the Homestead include bread baking classes and clay pot cooking workshops through the winter months. Next year, they’ll again host their Roaring 20’s Spring Fling and Fall Harvest Viking dinner, along with Women in the Wild Retreats in the summer.
Follow on social media for more information about Something Scrolled Wood Art and Lucky Day Homestead to keep up with upcoming projects. Anyone interested in custom wood designs can contact Emily directly @ 716-353-0193 or luckydayhomestead@gmail.com as she has availability for projects in 2024.
Large continuation text: After working with a hand router for the basic design, Emily uses a Dremel and various carving tools to detail the textures throughout the piece. “Sometimes the tools “buck” or twist and turn through the wood in an unexpected manner, and as meticulous as I am, I try to consider that this is just what the wood is telling me to do. I just go with it and make it part of the layout.”