DAVID ELSWORTH : STATEMENT

My first exposure to woodturning began in 1958, when I was fourteen. By the time I received my Master's degree in sculpture in 1973, I had worked in many media including metal, fiber and polyester. But it was my experience working in clay that led me to consider the intimate power of the vessel form. My love for the material of wood returned and by the mid-1975, I had developed a series of tools that allowed me to produce thin-walled hollow forms through a process I called 'blind turning'.

As both a maker and a teacher, I am constantly reminded of the importance of remaining a student of one's own work. This philosophy has allowed me to remain receptive to many influences that surround me, including objects from other cultures, the infinite variety of the materials I use, and my own personal and spiritual connection to the vessel form. The evolution of my work has therefore taken many directions, each stage of which I see as the foundation for a body of work that is yet to be realized.

My intent as an artist is to translate thought into form and to create singular statements that evolve through the integration of the material of wood with the process of turning. I prefer to work in series where I can explore ideas, challenge concepts and expand the dimension of my work into a broad visual language. I consider the skill of my craft to be the foundation from which my artwork has evolved, and that the identity of each object is a glimmer of the collective body of my life's work.