vessel series : wood

Back in the day when men were men and hardwood was cheap and plentiful, furniture makers spent their entire lives developing technique so perfect they hardly needed sandpaper. Now men are metro, and walnut is $20 a board foot, and craft means using everything you've got - technique, technology, and yes, lots of sandpaper - to express ideas in a fresh and original way. The two forms in perfect harmony represent a meeting of these two minds, born of profound respect for craftsmanship, and a desire to carry it into the future.

The vessel table with a lathe-turned hardwood bowl truly is a study of contrasts. The old with the new, the traditional with the technological, the rectilinear with the organic. The bowls themselves can take years to be made as it's a process that includes intermediate drying stages of months or years between turnings. The technique itself can take decades to master as its extremely difficult to achieve a uniform thinness across the whole surface. Once a bowl is complete we can then pair it with its table, as it has been modified with a computer controlled cutting machine to accept the bowl and allow it to rest within its native material.

About the woodturner

Jaques Blumer is a master turner. He is the preeminent craftsman in this technique throughout the entire bay area and a frequent instructor. His work is displayed in galleries and homes throughout the world.