Red Karee Sculpture
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By Gys Potgieter

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Designer

Gys Potgieter

Woodcrafter

Gys Potgieter

Tree

Karee Tree

Common name

Karee Tree

Red karee sculpture

The wood used in this eye-catching sculpture was severely burnt in a fire. To transform this block of wood into this impressive artwork took 50 hours of sanding to reveal and restore the natural deep red colour of the slab. It floats on powder-coated steel pins and is mounted on a camphor base. The red karee sculpture will bring joy and inspiration and long, thoughtful conversation reflecting on the shapes and forms embedded in the carving.

DESIGNER

Gys Potgieter is the visionary and owner of Kuni, a master of his craft and doing what he loves – crafting wood by hand. He favours indigenous wooden slabs and his designs flow with the shape, grain and nature of the slab. For Gys, the perfectly crafted furniture piece is as functional as it is beautiful. It is not about the extent or number of items produced, but about the passion and pride of producing a single, unique, handcrafted work of art, a natural object of lasting beauty.

Gys Potgieter

KAREE TREE

THE TREE

Family: Anacardiaceae | Synonym: Searsia lancea

The karee is a graceful evergreen tree, small- to medium-sized and usually grows to a height and width of 7m. The branches hang low and the crown is topped with a dense round canopy. It bears small yellow flowers and bunches of small yellow-green flattish fruits, which are relished by birds.

WHERE ARE THEY FOUND

This is one of the most common trees on the South African Highveld and southern Bushveld. It grows from Zambia in the north to the Western Cape in the south. It is found throughout the Free State and in parts of all the other provinces of South Africa, except for KwaZulu-Natal.

WOOD PROPERTIES

Karee was used in the past for fence posts, tool handles, wagon parts, tobacco pipes and bows.

The fruits are edible and were once used as an important ingredient of mead or honey beer. The word karee is said to be the original Khoi word for mead.