The Branch Altar Table - A Labor of Love

Lou Quallenberg says goodbye to the Branch Altar Table

The Mesquite Branch Altar Table was a labor of love and a true stretch of the mesquite furniture and carving /sculpting skills that Lou Quallenberg has acquired over the years.  Working with wood, working with mesquite, and creating something from a vision in your head.

The Chapel at Noah's Dream in the Texas Hill Country

Created for a private Chapel in the Texas Hill Country the piece's unique, beautiful and serene final destination was designed to resemble an ark. 

The Chapel at Noah's Dream in the Texas Hill Country

 As most of Lou's pieces do this one started out as a sketch. Well make that three sketches....

Sketch by Lou Quallenberg

Fortunately Lou Quallenberg can put his ideas down, beautifully on paper and the amazing thing is most pieces come out looking very close to the original sketch.

Sketch by Lou Quallenberg

Originally conceived and designed as a hallway table, changes had to be made to adapt it into a larger piece with more presence. The thoughts of a limestone top came to an end as the issue of weight was raised and unresolved.

Sketch by Lou Quallenberg

Maquette

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A maquette (French word for scale model, sometimes referred to by the Italian names plastico or modello) is a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture. An equivalent term is bozzetto, from the Italian word that means "sketch".

It is used to visualize and test shapes and ideas without incurring the cost and effort of producing a full-scale product. It is the analogue of the painter's cartoon, modello, oil sketch or drawn sketch. For commissioned sculptures, especially monumental public sculptures, a maquette may be used to show the client how the finished work will fit in the proposed site.

Maquette in Mesquite - Branch Altar Table

Maquette in Mesquite - Branch Altar Table

Maquette in Mesquite - Branch Altar Table

Maquette in Mesquite - Branch Altar Table

Lou created a miniature version maquette first, to be sure he could  actually reproduce it on a larger scale and to aid in the logistics of creating  this large piece.

That is one hefty chunk of mesquite with Lou Quallenberg

This piece's tree base was sculpted and carved from a solid laminated block of mesquite pieces. The block weighed approximately 1,240 lbs at beginning and approximately 350 lbs at delivery.

Lou Quallenberg begins carving the  Mesquite Branch Altar Table

Check out this video to see the carving process unfold:

The carved roots form the base of the table which grows into a tree form sprouting a branch that pokes through a carved natural hole in the mesquite slab top. The branch ultimately blooms into a tabletop candelabra. He sculpted designs in the top, sides and underside of the table top designed to catch the light and give the viewer hidden surprises to discover.

Several views of the Mesquite Branch Altar Table by Lou Quallenberg

The dimensions on this incredible piece are: 60"L x 22"W x 36"H and while the photos are good they just do not do the piece justice. It is most certainly one that calls out to be touched and explored.