Artist’s Statement:
Carpe Diem - Seize the Day
“Great turning is all about seeing the beauty within a block of wood and having the skill, technique, and focus needed to reveal it, without error or caution, to create a form that is both pleasing to the eye and balanced to the touch.”
- Bill Hunt
Bill Hunt - Woodturner…
… and occasional wild pheasant whisperer.
My day job, for more than 30 years, was as a Park Warden, Ecologist, and for the past decade as the Natural Resources Conservation Manager for Banff National Park. Working in Canada’s oldest and busiest national park was quite demanding, so I needed a way to “unwind”…
I began woodturning in 1996, when I salvaged an old second-hand lathe from an elderly gentleman’s basement in Calgary. It was a big cast-iron beast (> 500 lbs), and only had three speeds: fast, too fast, and way too fast! But ever since I turned my first bowl, and discovered the thrill of revealing the beauty within a piece of rough wood - I've been a slave to the lathe!
Since that time, I've upgraded my lathe to a state-of-the-art, variable speed, Vicmarc, purchased and fabricated a multitude of tools and accessories needed to turn wood effectively, received training from world renowned masters like Richard Raffan and Michael Hosaluk, and spent countless hours mastering the endless art of woodturning.
I get inspiration from the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains - which are all around us, and strive to produce beautiful bespoke works of art . I hope you’ll enjoy viewing these pages.
Although happy to respond to requests, I rarely accepted commissions, as I feel you have to see the piece before you 'fall in love with it’ as each turning is so unique that it's difficult to promise anything until the work has made its final trip around the lathe!
"Never imagine there is reason to be proud of anything that may be accomplished by patience and sand-paper".
- John Ruskin 1854
ARTISTIC PROCESS
of
WOODTURNING
“Once the wood is harvested from the forest it must be milled with a chainsaw and cut round on a large bandsaw. Blanks are then mounted on the lathe and rough-turned to the approximate shape. They are then painted with sealer to help them dry slowly; without checking, and must be carefully stored for several years to allow the moisture to evaporate slowly.
Once dried, distorted rough bowls are remounted on the lathe, trued-up, finish-turned, sanded, and oiled. Finally, bowls are reverse-chucked (often using a jam-chuck or vacuum chuck) to remove the tenon where the bowl was held by the jawed-chuck and shape this into a foot; which must also then be sanded and oiled.
The final step is for the artist to sign the foot and document the species of wood; this is usually done with a specialized burning tool or indelible fine-tip marker.”
Media - Banff Crag and Canyon - February 2021
https://www.thecragandcanyon.ca/entertainment/local-arts/art-for-arts-sake-bill-hunt-woodturning-artist
Contact: Bill Hunt, Woodturner, Harvie Heights, AB, Canada
Phone or Text: 403-678-7400
e-mail: riverduckdesigns@gmail.com
Camore Artisans Guild exhibit called: “Off the Wall”
each fall, at Elevation Place in Canmore Alberta