See John at
(and Jane* )
I have a permanent display of small pieces for sale in
Thinking of You Skelmanthorpe

Holmfirth Artweek*
Sun July 1st to Saturday July 7th
Civic Hall Holmfirth

Artweek fringe show*
Trash II Treasure : Just
Sun July 1st to Saturday July 7th
Holmfirth Methodist Church
Free Entry

Artist & Designer Fair*
Pavilion Gardens Buxton
Saturday Sept 15th & Sunday Sept 16th
Free entry

 

Welcome to John's Woodturning Gallery

 

Man has used wood for many thousands of years; from early times as a fuel and construction material. With furniture making developing from simple utility pieces to the magnificent works of art of the 17th and C18th, utilising the wealth of colour and grain patterns available.

Woodturning has been a tool of the cabinet maker for many centuries, used to embellish his work, or in its own right for the manufacture of utility items. In many of these instances the beauty of the wood is often lost to the design of the turning; in fact in some instances, for example turned finials on clocks or knobs on furniture are actually painted.

Today woodturning is taking up its own rightful position as an Art Form. My work tends to take on a simple form which best shows off the fantastic natural beauty of the wood, the functionality of the piece is of secondary consideration.

I source my own timber seeking out interesting pieces and use almost exclusively native British timber. Diseased and decayed timber exhibit remarkable colour variations. Spalting (the dark lines), most prevalent in beech, is another effect. Burrs, which are growths on trees, give fantastic grain effects and if turned wet can also produce interesting textures upon drying.

I am particularly fond of keeping as much of the character of the tree as possible and many of my pieces are designed to retain as much of the bark as possible (natural edge work). Frequently I retain or incorporate shakes (natural splits) and on occasions make a feature of these imperfections in the timber by inlaying them with metal.