Wood and Shell Serving Platter
Wooden Board with Shell Inlay
Wood and Ceramic Platter
Wooden Board with pate knife
Large Board
Brass Candelabra mounted on wood inlaid with paua
Jahnu Now
I was born in Pahiatua in December 1950 and began working with wood in 2005 with then New Plymouth artist, Peter Berger. Peter tought me his free style form using chainsaw and anglegrinder on macrocarpa and I started rough sanding of chainsawed components for the Hobbit stye furntiure and chopping boards he was then making. One day when Peter was assembling a piece he suggested I make some chopping boards myself. Over time I found myself increasingly drawn to the woods finer details, the knots and the patterns in the grain guiding me in the shaping of a board (and, not allways a practical shape!!) I began inserting shells and paua eventually developing my own style leading to the bread boards, serving platters, knives, spoons and mirror frames I am known for today.Actually... in saying all of that, I really have no idea what I am doing. I pick up a piece of wood and an angle grinder, start sanding and then, the wood "turns into something".
Perhaps if I was to try and explain what I do I might say that I 'put the tree back into the wood' after some saw miller has cut it into straight lines. . . . that's it!! that's what I do! I undo straight lines in pieces of Macrocarpa.
