Pine needles: an idea in progress

A year ago, one of my sisters asked me to make a couple of lamps for her that would use a pine needle motif of some sort. I started out thinking I could do it by carving a wooden stamp that would allow a repeated motif that I could connect with some sort of branches.

The jar at right is the first of a a series of pots that I have been working on for that stamp idea. I find that even though I like the effect on the shoulder border, it looks a little too much like bamboo instead of pine needles. This has led me to try a new tack, and presently I am working on a textured wooden section to roll slabs over for a lamp in a "mission" style. This is using modeling paste on 1/4 inch plywood.