Meet
Mark Paulley - Woodturner
Mark Paulley is another
of our exhibiting artists I enjoyed meeting at Cherokee
Triangle Art Fair in Louisville. He was born and
raised there, but he and his wife moved to Finchville in
Shelby County about five years ago "to a nice little
5-acre woods". He obviously enjoys living in the woods,
and is quick to point out that "no tree is felled just
to produce something". All of his wood comes from
trees that have fallen in storms or been damaged by rot
or insects, and he finds 95% of it here in the Kentucky
and Indiana area.
Mark got interested
in wood turning about 6 years ago when he and his wife
went to a Kentucky Guild show at Indian Fort Theatre in
Berea. Chris Ramsey was there turning a cowboy hat and
Mark told his wife he would like to learn to turn, "not
necessarily hats but just bowls and such". For
Christmas she gave him a lesson from the local
WoodCraft store and he's been turning ever since.
Mark joined the Louisville Area Wood
Turners Club early on, and now is a member of the
American Association of Woodturners which, he says,
"offers great opportunities to learn and educate
yourself on this fabulous art."
When he left his corporate job in 2005, he
decided to take a little time off and try to push
himself to become a better turner. When he took
several private lessons to help speed up the learning
curve, the instructor told him the best way to improve
was to just turn and turn and turn. And that's
what he's been doing with much of his time over the last
3 years...every day trying to push himself to be better.
He especially enjoys experimenting with turning unusual
and complicated forms, and challenging pieces of
wood.
At Cherokee Triangle, Mark and I enjoyed talking
about art and living the creative life. In his own words:
"I started participating in the art and craft shows
last year as a way to combine my hobby for turning and
the great fun of meeting people to talk to them, not
just about my wood turning passion but just about any
type of Crafts and Art. I really enjoy the other artists
as much as the attendees! I have truly learned
from so many artisans that are not in wood
turning. Each medium brings its own style and
complexity that it just excites me to no end.
I have met people from all over the states and
from other parts of the world, and it simply amazes me
the abilities of others to create."
Mark finally
did get up the courage to turn some cowboy hats and
Derby bowlers. This full-size ambrosia maple cowboy hat
started off as an 80 pound log, which he turned down to
approximately 1 1/2 pounds. Though he loves the
challenge of turning hats and other complex forms, Mark
still enjoys turning smaller pieces, and is always on
the lookout for unusual sources of wood for his
projects.
Mark showed me these little ornaments
he's been making lately. He starts with pipe bowls that
have been discarded by the manufacturer for defects. He
turns and embellishes them, often finding acorn tops to
serve as roofs. He told me, "I think it's important at
the art shows to have a range of products so that
everyone can take home something!"
I know you'll enjoy meeting Mark at
Francisco's Farm Arts Festival. You'll find him in Booth
67 - Buck Creek Wood Works is his business.
Thanks for reading! Watch for next
week's newsletter and get acquainted with another fine
artist.
Marcie
Christensen
Event Coordinator /
Imagineer
