Gary Kaplan

Peabody

Artist Bio For 34 years I built furniture and about 14 years ago I got involved with woodturning and was thrilled with this new endeavor. I enjoy every step involved in turning and the endless possibilities that this creative skill provides. I have taken many courses with a number of highly skilled turners. Although most of my work is functional, I also enjoy creating decorative pieces such as suspended forms, and split bowl art. I have recently gotten more involved with various embellishment techniques such as texturing and painting or staining some of my work, although for the most part, I tend to rely on the natural beauty of the wood. I have been published in the National Woodturnoing Magazine (AAW) and have been honored to receive “Best in Show” at the Charlestown Art-in-the-Park show.   Main Subject Woodturning   Materials and Techniques I make one-of-a-kind, food-safe functional art bowls, platters, covered bowls, and pens on a lathe. I use only felled trees. The process takes about a year to complete a bowl. After chain-sawing, I rough-turn the bowls, leaving the wall thickness 1/10 of the diameter of the bowl. I then wax the bowls, which allows them to dry slowly, preventing or reducing cracking. During the drying process the wet bowls tend to warp. After storing the bowls for a year, I turn them a second time. This second turning allows me to achieve appropriately thin walls and also ensures that the bowls are not warped and are appropriately round.   https://www.facebook.com/bowlguy1