BRIAN HILL
Artist Statement
I am a woodturner and woodworker. My primary influence is in the forms, tones, textures, curves, and lines found in wood. I would describe my style as rustic and functional. I primarily make bowls, boxes, hollow forms, wooden utensils, and tools used in fiber arts.
My first experience woodturning took place over 40 years ago, but I focused in on woodturning during covid in 2020. Since that time, I have upgraded my tools and honed my skills. I love woodturning more now than I ever have.
Woodturning helps me find harmony and balance in life. Woodturning is soothing and relaxing because it allows me to work with my hands, my mind, and my heart. When I am not turning wood, I am thinking about turning wood.
In enjoy teaching classes and helping others discover the joy of woodturning. I also enjoy demonstrating my craft. I have demonstrated woodturning at events in several cities. I recently demonstrated in Ridgeland, Madison and Clinton, Mississippi. I frequently demonstrate on behalf of the Mississippi Craftsmen's Guild.
It is my mission to promote woodturning as an art form everywhere I go.
I apprenticed under master woodturner Sammy Long. I have also been fortunate to have many mentors in my woodturning life. I am a member of the Magnolia Woodturners, the American Association of Woodturners and The Mississippi Craftsmen's Guild.
View the Past and Current Works of
Brian Hill
Biography
Woodturning for me has its roots in my childhood. I was raised on a small farm in rural Hinds County Mississippi. Growing up with generations of family members living in close proximity to each other, we built everything we needed, from fences and sheds to furniture to barns and houses.
I loved the building projects I grew up with. I started out as a tool fetcher and material carrier and then when I was old enough, I learned to operate power tools. I loved taking raw construction material and making something beautiful and functional with my hands.
I have always had a special relationship with wood. From building projects and gathering firewood, I learned to recognize and appreciate the different species of our native hardwoods. I learned to see one kind of beauty in a piece of wood with clean, straight grain and another kind of beauty in a piece of wood that is twisted, knotty, and gnarly.
I was introduced to the wood lathe by an uncle who was a woodworker. He had a shop on the farm with a variety of woodworking tools, one of which was a wood lathe. I was fascinated as I watched him take a lump of wood and transform it into something beautiful. When I was old enough to work on the lathe my uncle let me make my own creations. From then on, I was hooked.
One of my favorite woodworking memories of my childhood comes from making a wooden goblet. I took a piece of Pine and mounted it between centers on the lathe and began to make shavings. Crafting that goblet made me feel so proud. I had taken something that was raw and ordinary and by using my hands I created a piece of art.
Through woodturning, I discovered the wood grain and species that I previously believed undesirable for lumber (and in some cases only useful for firewood) was now coveted for artistic purposes. Bradford pear is useless as lumber but is ideal for woodturning. A knotty piece of oak could be difficult to split and not useful for lumber or firewood, but that same piece of wood on the lathe can become a sunning piece of art.
My woodturning style leans toward rustic functional pieces. Some turners look for strait grain and avoid wood with knots or defects. I am drawn to “flawed” wood that has been invaded by insects or twisted by the stresses of our environment. The gnarlier a piece of wood the better I like it. I find great satisfaction from turning an ordinary piece of wood into something extraordinary.
I am often asked where I get my wood and people are almost always surprised to learn that I do not buy wood. I keep a saw in the trunk of my SUV and am always on the lookout for a tree that has fallen; I never cut a tree down. Part of the joy of woodturning for me is saving a piece of wood destined for a land fill or burn pile. I love giving wood that someone else considers trash new life as a family heirloom.
My view of being a woodturner is that nature is the real artist, and it is my job to discover what nature has hidden within a piece of wood. Inspiration comes from the natural defects such as insect damage, bark inclusions, spalting, discoloration, and intricate grain patterns within the wood. There are shapes and forms waiting to be discovered in each piece of wood and I cannot wait to put the next piece on the lathe.