General Statement
For me to call the things I make art
is often somewhat difficult for me. If I make a table, it has a purpose and it should look good as well. But it is still something that anyone
could do. And I would say the same thing about my sculptures as well. Anyone could make them, but as far as I know, I am the only one doing it so I feel it is more qualified to be called art.
And if something I do inspires you to create something similar, that's wonderful, have fun with it. You can even email me for help, or techniques that work for me.
Woodworking
Woodworking for me is used for creating something beautiful, yet functional and generally has a desired purpose already in mind. A coffee table for instance, is normally going to be placed near a couch and used to put magazines, remote controls, drinks, etc. on the surface. I prefer to use as many hand tools as possible. The only electricity used when making the walnut chair was for the radio. Ideally, there is a good mixture of power tools during construction for speed, consistency, and accuracy, and hand tools for final surface preparation - hand planes and scrapers with minimal use of sandpaper.
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Photography
My personal preference is film rather than digital photography. Though when photographing items for my website, I will certainly choose the ease and speed of digitally captured images. My photographic journey began relatively recently and in that short time I have come to realize that landscape photography is what gets me excited to take pictures. I've had the opportunity to use a good 4x5 field camera which left no uncertainty in my mind as to what I enjoyed doing photographically. I enjoy being outdoors, especially hiking, so I use photography as a reminder that I need to take a break from the hectic nature of the world today and go outside, relax, and take some good pictures so that I have more images to remind me of what I have seen and the beauty that does still exist in the world. Because my photography using film was aided by access to a darkroom while going to college, currently I am having to settle for digital photography.
Sculpture
Because my background is woodworking, my primary material for sculpture is in fact wood. I have most of the tools needed and a good selection of materials to choose from. I guess you could look at it as woodworking that serves no purpose. In my opinion, sculpture is primarily visual, textures and the like are certainly important as well, but the piece does not have to do anything. Please don't figure out how to mount it on the wall to use as a coat rack. Some pieces have a clear top an bottom with unlimited views from the side, feel free to experiment. Others, like some of my recent Desktop Sculptures,
have been designed to be displayed in a certain manner. My sculptures are generally just a free-flowing shape or form created as they are being made. Often I will have a general idea and then I see where it takes me. It is the time where I can truly just be creative, and see what results from my experimentation.
Bowls
I don't really consider myself much of a wood turner, though I have been using the lathe a lot recently. I originally began making bowls between other woodworking projects. They were something that I could complete in a day, or even several in a day if desired. In general, the bowls I make are simple bowls. The shapes are usually very similar though the woods can vary greatly in color, grain patterns, and density. These are also typically from chunks of exotic woods since smaller pieces can be used, or off-cuts from other projects. In the months leading up to Christmas I tend to increase my production of bowls as they make excellent gifts. Similar items in a gallery or gift shop would sell for 3-4 times the price I offer my bowls for.