About Bob

I have been working with wood all my life. My career was spent as a union carpenter and a construction superintendent. One weekend at a craft fair I stumbled upon a woodturning demonstration and I was fascinated. I bought a large lathe, started turning, and never looked back. I am now a full time woodturner.

While I turn everything – miniatures, bowls, hollow forms, natural edge, and segmented pieces – I have a particular fascination for pyography. This is the art or technique of decorating wood  by burning a design on the surface with a heated metallic point. I am known for my basket illusion pieces.

Starting with a finished turning, I draw carefully spaced circular and radial lines while on the lathe. I then burn the lines on the lathe and by hand. Careful dyeing of the spaces between lines creates the desired pattern. My designs are variations on Indian basket patterns. There are many steps involved and it is detailed work, but I actually find it relaxing. I enjoy the challenge and the creativity.

I give demonstrations of my basket illusion techniques. I am also a woodturning instructor at the Mt Diablo Woodturning Center. I have won numerous awards at the Alameda County Fair and the California State Fair, and have been selected for exhibit at the California Contours in San Luis Obispo, a juried exhibition of lathe-turned work sponsored by the 15 California Chapters of the American Association of Woodturners. 

My work can be seen at Gallery M in Half Moon Bay and at Valley Art Gallery in Walnut Creek. 

Contact:

Email:[email protected]

Call: (925) 687-9567

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