Date:  August 18, 2016  |   Story: Susan Darcey  |   Photography: Matthew Martin  |  

Exquisite hand-crafted bowls are a work of art created by this Arkansas resident passionate about wood

Your bowls seem quite popular, how did you come to make them? I have an engineering background, and I’ve always been creative and inventive. I’ve always worked with wood, acrylic, metals and built things, but I am enjoying wood turning right now. A local cardiologist and friend introduced me to it a couple of years ago and I really loved it. To me, it’s a more artistic outlet than just making tables, and benches, and desks. Turning is just a little bit more unexpected because you don’t know what you’re making when you start. I’ve made bowls, vases, planters, candlesticks, and I am about to start some lamps. I had no idea it would grow into such a passion.

What exactly is wood turning? Turning is an advanced and specialized skill that all woodworkers eventually consider. It’s different from other types of woodworking because the wood is constantly moving while you are shaping it. I’m still learning, I’m still exploring what I like the most with it. It’s literally limitless.

What motivates you to make these beautiful bowls? I work full-time and coach youth athletics, but my kids are growing out of that stage so for me it’s a way to connect with friends. It’s nice to be able to connect with people with something as simple as a bowl or a nice vase. If there’s one consistent theme I think that I’m gravitating towards, it’s making pieces that consistently remind you it was a tree. If there’s an imperfection, some ingrown bark, bark around the edge, or worm holes, I try to incorporate that into the pieces. The most fun pieces I do are for friends…I have a friend who grew up in Russellville and his parents still live in the house he grew up in. I’ve made him several pieces from a tree they cut down that he played in as a kid. It doesn’t get any better than that.

To purchase, contact designer Mara Malcolm, Lamb Interior Design, (501) 813-0202, lambsinteriordesign.com.