Sally Burnett (UK) carved and coloured spalted beech hollow form 14x11cm. SignedAs a relative newcomer to woodturning I had never met Ray Key. He surprised me however, when, after being awarded a bursary from the Worshipful Company of Turners, Ray took the time to call me and offered words of encouragement. It was a huge boost for me and a testament to the warmth and generosity of the man.The responsibility to create something worthy of the project coupled with a less than promising piece of spalted beech was rather daunting. The easy option was to fully colour the piece, hide the crack and the holes, but the collaboration deserved more. There must have been something about this piece of spalted beech that had made Ray turn a rough shape and put it to one side? So I looked at it again.The grain colour and pattern were spectacular, not something to be hidden. The result, is a unique ‘Corvus Nero’ style piece with marbled bronze silver leaf to complement the rich natural colour of the wood and the background not muted, or hidden or bleached but oiled to really make it sing. I hope that Ray would approve.The Ray Key Collaboration Auction