Wooden bowls , cutting boards and platters are for me, an escape from clay ! Sometimes, by changing to another material , and wood is one I enjoy working with, can be a “creative distraction”. I buy trees that have been grown locally, some have blown over or just reached the end of their natural rotation, these have great interest in their grain and colour, and because I like to turn, large bowls start out on the lathe as big lumps !

Selection and cutting the wood has a profound bearing on the outcome of the piece, and to be able to see what the wood has to offer is a great challenge. I am always surprised how long wooden bowls take to complete, with clay, the throwing process is comparatively quick, but with a wooden bowl it is rough turned and left to dry for anything up to twelve months before it is put back on the lathe and finished. Apart from perhaps a salad bowl we tend not to use wood as an everyday object, but for me it has a warmth and texture that enriches our daily lives.