Black ash burl bowl ,

I had turned small things prior and poorly , but didn't really get hooked on lathe work, specifically turning bowls , until 2008 . The foundry that I was employed at had announced they would be closing and offered a little help with retraining expenses . Up to that point , I was fairly good at building shaker and mission style furniture , but for some reason felt I needed to learn more about Turning . As luck would have it , I was able to sign up for a 2 week class/workshop at the center for furniture craftsmanship in Rockport Maine. The class was Wood turning A to Z , and my teacher was Beth Ireland . As the name suggests we did a little bit of everything , but when Beth showed me how to turn my first bowl .... I was hooked . Long story short , when I returned home from that trip , the foundry I was employed at closed a few months later , In the meantime , I scraped up enough money to buy a 3520 B and dug into bowl turning every chance I got . The following year(2009) I took an internet marketing class that was offered by my county chamber , I was just trying to learn all I could . I'd soak up every bit of info I could from fellow turners and try and get better every time I was on the lathe . In 2010 , I got tax ID number and started out going to a couple local arts and crafts shows and selling things at consignment shops . Fast forward to now (2017) I'm still going and still learning . We( my wife and I) attend from 16 to 19 shows per year as well as the occasional farmers market . I've now turned to completion over 1000 bowls and I don't know how many rolling pins, wine stoppers and Christmas ornaments . It's been a lot of fun and a joy to meet so many other turners along the way . I'm 56 now and hope to be able to turn for years to come .

- Gary Pierce