I used to be a bush boy, now I play with wood! My passion for wood as a material began when I worked for many years in various remote wilderness areas of Southern and East Africa. Now, as a self-taught studio woodturner, I create vessels and bowls using a traditional lathe and gouges combined with contemporary carving techniques. I work almost exclusively with green wood. This allows the drying process to contribute to the final form of the vessel. As the tensions within the timber are resolved the vessel twists, warps and assumes the shape that the wood wants it to be. My use of scorching as a technique is inspired by the elemental part that fire plays in life in the bush. It brings out the inherent texture of the grain and invites touch.
All the timber used in my practice is sustainably sourced, often as part of an alien eradication program.
