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I've always been attracted to the beauty of wood and drawn to turned wood shown at craft shows. My first wood-turning class was in the summer of 2016. Later that year I joined the Carolina Mountain Woodturners group in Asheville. This group provided monthly demonstrations, group classes, and retreats which introduced me to a variety of techniques including turned bowls, boxes, platters, pens, pendants, off-centered turning, embellishing, and carving all on wood.
In June of 2018, I was able to take a class with Harvey Meyer on the technique of Basket Illusion which has become a primary interest of mine. This technique combines elements of woodturning, design, and embellishing to produce a platter that resembles a woven basket.
I enjoy learning new techniques and am now learning new methods for carving and embellishing my work with color and texture and have recently taken a class with Sammy Long on relief carving. My inspiration often comes from nature - a bend of a tree limb, or the shape of a flower, or from other media - pottery, a basket, the shape of a window, or a quilt design. Sometimes, it is just the wood itself - the particular grain, or a crack that leads to a new shape, or the rough edge of the bark. I feel fortunate to be in this area with its history of creativity that encourages and fosters creativity in others.
