I grew up on a half acre lot in Mableton, Georgia, and was surrounded by several things that sent me down the road of turning wood. One was and still is my creative father who still works with wood today, who taught me not only about wood, but how to work hard and thoroughly at whatever I do. My whole family has encouraged me towards the artistic, from creative writing in middle school to pencil drawing and guitar picking in high school. As a homeschooler during the spring I turned 17 I had to write an English paper, and for no particular reason I chose the woodturning lathe as my subject. After watching Richard Raffan's world renowned instructional video, I was instantaneously hooked: I had to try my hand at turning wood. But before I could I did have to finish that paper, and in the process I read several books that got me started on the right track: Richard Raffan's timeless book of technique, Frank Pain's memorable "Bible," along with some of Ray Key and Dale Nish. The summer of two thousand and one I saved the dollars I made cutting grass and traded them for a cheap Grizzly lathe and a few high speed steel tools.

Now, several years after I bought that cheap piece of iron, the Lord has moved my family to a gorgeous five acres in Powder Springs, Georgia, where I now have a personal gallery and a studio outfitted with much of the "periphery" required for this fascinating craft - a trade that encompasses truly utilitarian objects of ware to fantastic pieces of art. I’ve had the opportunity to study under my woodturning hero Richard Raffan, and I hope my work will reflect the personal instruction he gave me. My focus right now is the simple, though not so simple, wooden bowl. I hope to be able to produce wooden bowls of the highest quality – from the wood that I use, to the curve that I turn, to the finish I apply. I hope to take the very simplistic bowl which is little more than a container really, and “turn” it into art – to marry simple, evenly sped curves with the right wood and finish. I am also experimenting with some new vase forms and handheld, lidded boxes, and although they are more complicated in both technique and execution, I am enjoying the new challenge.

I'm really just beginning this journey in turning wood, so please check in every now and again, to see what I'm doing.

David

"I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live." Psalm 116:1, 2