Noah's Ark

I was commissioned to do this project by my chiropractor. He wanted a place in his office where the kids could play and stay occupied. We came up with the idea for a Noah's Ark toy box.

This project took a lot of wood working skills. I wanted the toybox to look like the ark coming out from the wall in 3D. I created the box using plywood with areas overhanging to create the rounded shape. I then used redwood lath to create the outside shiplap of the boat. I had to cut saw kerfs on the back side of the lath and soak it for several days to get it to bend. An old steam iron helped.

Noah and the animals were cut out as one piece and painted on a thin door skin. I later attatched the keel of the boat to fit around the toy box. I underpainted a grissaille first then used colored glazes over that, reserving the actual wood grain for the ark.

The background was painted on 2 door skins, one for the sky, and the other for the water. The whole thing was varnished with a clear coat for protection.

• Client: Armstrong Family Chiropractic