Michel Chalufour

Woodturning is a recent creative interest for me and has been influenced by my life-long love for wood and trees.

As a young child I imagined trees had voices, that their leaves were the source of the wind. I remember my father teaching me how to use a hand saw and how to make things of wood. I remember the joy of making a desk of fine mahogany, the curl of fresh shavings, the surprise grain revealed by oil applied to sanded surfaces.

Turning wood on the lathe has introduced me to the pleasure of exploring curved surfaces and shapes as they are revealed by the play of light and shadow.

A lathe-turned bowl explores the interaction of curved, turned surfaces with the wood’s natural lines and colors. While it is at

once an aesthetic and a utilitarian object, for me it is a meditation on the life and history of the tree: grain, growth rings, color variations, knots, bark–all reflect its story.

Wood still speaks to me.