I enjoy the entire process of bringing the wood from the forest floor to finished bowl.  Much of the wood I use comes from neighborhoods and woods near where I live in central MA.  I gather logs from trees already downed by storm or disease using a chain saw and truck.  The logs are sealed on the end grain and left in my wood pile.  In the next step I rough cut the log with the chain saw to get it close to the dimensions needed for the bowl.  The rough cut timber is then mounted on the lathe, rounded on the outside to approximate the shape of the final bowl, hollowed on the inside, coated with sealant again, and left on a shelf in my studio to complete the drying process.  When the blank has reached a moisture content of 7-11 %, it is final-turned and finished.  This process is known as "twice-turning" the bowl.  I also enjoy taking bowls to completion with the wood still wet or "green."  This produces a very different effect because the wood shrinks as it dries and distorts the perfectly round turning into an oval-shaped vessel with a wavy rim.

I prefer simple clean lines in my work.  My designs emphasize remaining close to the wood, working with the grain direction and texture, accounting for the wood's inherent (and inevitable) changes as a result of time and variation in humidity and temperature.  Not infrequently, new aspects of the wood grain (some would say imperfections) are revealed as the piece takes shape on the lathe.  My approach is to incorporate, even "feature," the unexpected into the piece.  This brings an immediacy and spontaneity to turning that never ceases to amaze me!