ACC artist Mark Doolittle holds a Ph.D. in biology, and it's clear that his background has inspired his sculptural woodcarvings. He's studied the aesthetics and organization of cells and tissues, and aims to translate that in his pieces. Or as he puts it, "I want the viewer to sense that my sculptural pieces ‘grew' that way rather than having been carved." He was gracious enough to elaborate on the pieces featured here:

"Ammonite Sculpture and Blooming Sculpture were carved from single blocks of Amboyna Burl (Pterocarpus Indicus), an Indonesian wood with a beautiful red heartwood and yellow-gold sapwood; no staining was used and a clear finish was applied to bring out the natural beauty of the wood. Coral Sculpture was carved from a single block of Basswood (Tilia Americana), a pale-yellow American wood that is prized for its carving properties. In finishing this piece, an airbrush was used to apply stains that emulate the resplendent colors of a living coral reef."

In short: You simply have to see Mark Doolittle's carved wood sculptures in person, and you can if you're in San Francisco this weekend. Stop by booth 419 at Fort Mason Center!

Can't get enough craft? Neither can we. Heck Yes Craft is a series of visual blog posts with a simple mission: to show off amazing work. Come back every Friday for more.