A retired engineer, Brian originally began to turn as a therapeutic hobby. He quickly discovered that woodturning provided an opportunity for expression that he had not previously experienced. He developed his skills as a woodturner by entering a number of national and international competitions where he enjoyed a good degree of success.
As well as 'traditional' turned items, he uses carving, texture and colour to enhance the natural beauty of the wood. His recent work has involved the use of laser engraving to add decoration to turned work.
Initially purchased to personalise commissioned work with lettering and images, the use of a laser as an artistic tool has seen very little application in woodturning. Exploring this new field has been challenging but has shown that the potential for new types of work is high.
A greater awareness across the world of the need to protect endangered species of timber has meant that many of the traditional turning timbers are no longer available. Brian fully supports these changes and now uses native timbers for the majority of his work. Much of this is obtained locally from trees that fall in storms or are being cleared for other reasons. The time and effort involved in preparing and drying the wood is considerable but there is great satisfaction in making something from a tree that you know the history off and which may well have been part of the local landscape for a couple of hundred years.
Brian enjoys giving others an appreciation of the pleasure that can be gained from making shavings on a lathe. He is always prepared to let people try their hand, please feel free to contact him if you would like to give it a go.
