On the Rocks (reverse)

My woodturning journey started at the New Mexico State Fair back around '03 when I saw a video of Richard Raffan turning a bowl. What a beautiful, flowing dance he did as he created his work. I wanted to do that! Months later I bought a used lathe with some old tools for $75, paid a woodturner $20 for a lesson (All he did was turn a bowl and explain the process), and started teaching myself through books and videotapes from the libraries. The first club meetings were mostly chatting about woodturning and work. Frustrating when you want to learn. Luckily the clerk at Woodcraft was also a turner and was a big help in getting started. After trading up from a new, poorly made Delta 45-715, to a new $100 mini-lathe, and a used Vega bowl lathe, I settled in on a new Powermatic about 5 years ago. After taking a Master Bowl Class with David Lancaster, I taught Adult Ed woodturning and demoed at our 120+member Club. I've sold my work wholesale, at a craft fair, through a local co-op, and at a nearby tourist gallery. For years, as I drove and narrated the local Trolley/Bus I was able to slowly drive by the Northlight Gallery and point out my bowls on their windowsill. (Really helped sales.) As a woodturner I've tended to be purist, preferring work that was only turned. For the past few years though, I've delved into embellishment (burning, coloring, texturing), but still want my work to look like it was primarily turned. While I still love making decorative bowls, now I seem to want to go 'beyond the bowl' to turning sculptural pieces. The next path in my journey will be to take all the information and ideas that I've assimilated and explore my own creativity. A challenging path awaits me, but I know it will be exciting and rewarding.

- Jack Savona