​My interest in woodturning may have grown out of a lifelong love of forests, trees.

I love turning simple shapes - bowls, platters, vases, boxes, pens. Or more complex - hollow forms, free-shape vessels. I am equally interested in segmented turning, spiralling, and texturing. ​Tree natural features - knots, voids, bark inclusions - I use to my advantage. Keeping a piece in most natural state is always my goal.

I admire working with local woods: maple, ash, elm, walnut, box elder and many more. Most of the wood I am using  has been salvaged one way or another from Montreal streets or suburbs. Otherwise, the only alternative for these trees would be firewood, mulch, particle boards, or garbage.

​Most likely I started my woodturning shop subconsciously many years ago, when I was born in a city surrounded by ancient Boreal Forests: The Taiga.  I remember calling humongous cedar and pine trees "Silent Giants” - to the amusement of my friends, and parents.
 
Since early age, I've been hiking in all kinds of forest for hours - learning, observing. But this my "love to trees", toiling deep in my heart and soul, took many moons to grow and develop.
 
In between tree hugging-hiking and woodturning, I graduated from the school and university, "traveled seven seas" visiting more than 75 countries. 

​As a cameraman I participated in more than 170 broadcast documentaries, short films, commercials, corporate videos, took uncounted number of photos. It took me roughly half of a century - including studying, working and emigrating to Canada - to return back to my ‘roots’: trees.

From my woodturning experience I learned that wood often ‘speaks for itself’, suggests a character, shape, effect of a future vessel. Nevertheless, woodturning is a puzzle till the very last stages. Woodturner simply should "listen and follow".

​I am listening...​