Old money ...

 

 

Old money

A skill like woodworking takes years and thousands of hours to become more than just proficient, but this man invested that time to be a certifiable master. His name is Randall Rosenthal and he has talent that can result in mind-bending illusions. The project in the gallery below all started with three pieces of white pine he glued together. What he turned that block of wood into is so cool. He glued the pieces of pine together as a base. Once the adhesive cured, he was ready to begin carving the block. He slowly whittled it down into an interesting shape. It wasn’t uniform. The edges were jagged. What could it be? Hmm…. This is where the project began looking like the final project --- a cardboard box. By chipping away at the block of wood and hollowing out different sections, he was able to create the illusion that it was a box containing something. He spent hours carefully carving the sides to give the illusion of corrugated cardboard. The effect was incredible. He took a break from the hours of carving to begin adding paint to the piece. He carefully painted what was to be inside the box…stacks of money. Not only is Randall a gifted woodworker, but his painting skills are incredible as well. After being painstakingly careful painting the bills and their details, he began slowly adding color to the cardboard. Since “cardboard” isn’t something you can paint on in one sitting, he had to add light, washed out layers over and over. Stunning. He was able to carve something with so much depth and texture out of a simple block of wood. The finished product, “Old Money”, is incredibly realistic. No matter how long I stare at this, I can’t be convinced that it’s NOT a box of money. A Japanese TV station interviewed Randall because of this incredible work. “Old Money” was such a hit, he is being commissioned to make a second box. The finished product, a real wood carving is an awesome illusion. No matter how long I stare at “Old Money”, it just looks like a cardboard box full of money.