I have been turning for more than 20 years after inheriting a wood lathe from my father. My greatest inspiration was to attend a 3-day seminar in France during 2003 with many of the world’s best artistic woodturners. One of them, David Ellsworth demonstrated hollowing a vessel through a small opening in the neck, a method he had pioneered. My bowls follow his technique, as best I can.
The timber is from a stump of burr Karee that I found in a garden in Hartbeespoort near where I live. It had been uprooted some years previously and was showing the effects of weathering and fire damage. The development of burrs (or burls in America) is thought by some to be viral in nature, rather like a wart on humans. Woodworkers for their attractive grain patterns keenly seek them. The closed-form of these vessels show these patterns to advantage and I hope they give pleasure.
