In addition to being a woodturner, I am a cellist and physicist. My aesthetic sensibilities, expressed in turned and carved wood, reflect both my musical and scientific backgrounds. My musical experiences have helped me develop a sense of form and balance, and my training in theoretical physics has helped me develop a deep appreciation for the beauty inherent in simplicity.
In my pieces, I try to produce objects with simple, elegant contours which provide a canvas for the often hypnotic beauty of the wood’s natural grain and figure. In both music and physics (as in sculptural woodturning), simple forms can provide the basis for mesmerizing details and surprise.
The process of woodturning involves cutting and shaping wood while it is spinning on a lathe. As surfaces are revealed in the cutting process, new forms and new grain and figure emerge. In a very real sense, this process of turning and removal of wood involves a conversation with the wood, which, in the end, is an introspective conversation with oneself. Sustained physical control and mental concentration are necessary to bring a piece successfully to conclusion. At the same time, a sense of freedom and spontaneity is necessary to create a graceful and balanced form. During the turning process, one can be in an almost meditative state in which hours can pass without notice.
In the creative tension between control and spontaneity, I strive for a form which gracefully celebrates the marriage between the pied beauty of nature and the balanced regularity of human artifice.
