I'm not sure why others start embellishing there pieces but I did it mainly because the logs or wood I was using was plain to say the least. Add that to the fact I was an average turner I needed to "embellish" my work to get the proper oohs and ahhs .
Anyway this piece- the base, the oak basket, and the pebbles that the flowers are stuck into were all turned on the lathe. The round base, I used the lathe to index and lay out the lines for the tile effect. On the pebbles ( the grey part that the flowers are into I turned it and carved the pebble effect into it. The Oak basket came out the best- after I turned it I carved the woven look into it and pyrographed the dark lines. By the time it was finished one would have to actually get very close up to tell if it was a real basket or one piece.
The rest of the piece it ALL wood. The flowers and leaves were carved out of tupelo and then painted for the proper effect.

Ben your work is incredible, Wow! You should join and submit your work on World of wood turners WOW. Your work would stand strong with all the other great pieces I have seen.

Very nice.

Thanks for all the great comments!

Breck, not sure what WoW is but I'll check it out.

Kat, I’m not great with words but I’ll try. First I turn the approximate shape I need , in this case a cone shape. Then I’ll hollow it out or drill it out while it’s on the lathe, if necessary.  Once I cut it off the lathe I’ll draw my  lines where I want to begin carving (the line in red) and then begin removing the material I don’t need to get the look I want.

As far as painting, I always start with the darkest color first, painting the entire flower and then begin to add lighter colors as needed.

Hope this helps.