I have been woodworking since I was a kid. Check out the video on my website (www.richarddlugo.com) where one of the scenes is an old picture of me, circa 1946, with my milk bottle watching my dad making something out of wood. In the ‘70’s of the previous century I started exhibiting a line of wooden toys and puzzles at art fairs in the Chicago area. I made wooden toys back then because I had six kids and they needed something to play with. The only thing I used the lathe for was to make wheels and smokestacks for trains. I stopped doing woodworking when my kids became teenagers and took over my small workshop space for rock band practice. Well when the kids left the nest it was time for me to upgrade the workshop while I still was working, and retirement was not far off. (Good decision.) One of the items I purchased was a Jet midi-lathe. I got hooked on turning and upgraded to a Jet 1642 which has served me steadily for the last 8 years. My works are diverse in style, having been inspired by such a multitude of turners that have shared countless ideas. As a musician in earlier life I leaned heavy into improvising music as I played it rather than reading all the notes. I carried this aspect into wood turning. I mount a block of wood on the lathe with an idea in mind, but what the final shape will be happens as I watch what the wood has to offer in grain and even natural ‘defects’ such as knots, bark inclusions and cracks. Trees are one of the few things in this world which we can enjoy after their lifespan has ended. My works are created with the precept that they become the Artistic Rebirth of Trees. In the interest of preserving our environment, many of my items are created from wood rescued from trees from the urban forest of backyards and parkways.
- Richard Dlugo