Rain Forest Originals

You will find all of the below embodied in the work of Bill Judkins, the artist whose work is featured in this store.

Turning is a process whereby wood or other materials are shaped on a lathe by rapidly turning against a stationary cutting device. Turned work has been found on Greek and Roman furniture and it is thought that even the Ancient Egyptians may have used the technique.

Some turners choose to destroy all traces of the natural material through lacquer, paint or elaborate carving, while others limit their manipulation of the material, allowing the wood to remain as raw as possible. The majority of turners are drawn to the medium precisely because wood is such an irregular material and lends an exciting unpredictability to the creative process.

On the issue of the non-utilitarian nature of most turned-wood vessels "The function is to display the beauty of nature and to reflect the harmony of man. It is wrong to ask a bowl to function as a workhorse as well, to hold potato chips, or salad or to store trivialities. The bowl is already full. It contains itself and the space between the walls."

Like other abstract art, turned-wood forms primarily serve as objects for meditation or arousal, and their foremost impact is on the sensual level.