| I moved
to Wales (the bit stitching out on the left side of England)
in 1986 to work as an accountant for a small firm. After
3 years the choice of relocation with the firm or redundancy
gave me the opportunity to get out of the rat race and a
career change. A desire to do woodturning full time led
to taking up training with a professional turner. During
this apprenticeship I managed second prize for turning in
the National Eisteddfod of Wales 1990; first prize went
to my tutor! It was fortunate that it was this way round
otherwise I don't think he'd still be talking to me.
In
1990 I went professional starting at the bottom by selling
my work at local craft fairs. This was a good grounding
in the craft but a hard way to make a living. During this
period I sold my Eisteddfod bowl - one of my biggest regrets.
I eventually took the next step and decided to aim for
the top end of the market. In 1998 I wangled a commission
from the UK Foreign Office to produce work for 17 visiting
foreign dignities attending the Cardiff European Union
Summit. This was my lucky break; right place right time.
In 2001 I was asked to be one of the main presenters at
the Great Britain International Woodturning Seminar and
this year I'm looking forward to the International Turning
Exchange in Philadelphia, working with others lathe artists
selected from the international community.
Most
of my recent work is more an exploration of line and form
than an effort at an artistic statement and it continually
amazes me how each minute refinement of a curve can alter
the character of a piece. I strive to achieve a perfect
form - or at least something a little closer to it than
anything I've done before. I'm still trying as there is
always further to go. This has evolved to a series of
work with hollow vessels based around a vase design with
exaggerated rims that are partly removed and shaped. The
inspiration for these came from the image of a falling
drop of water with the incising giving each piece a sense
of movement. The use of sycamore allows the form to take
prominence.
I
have work at a number of galleries throughout the UK and
the USA. I've participated in exhibitions at prominent
galleries in Britain and abroad. As a result some people
have started collecting my work which is good for the
old self esteem.
I'm
a member of the Makers Guild In Wales, the Association
of Woodturners of Great Britain, the American Association
of Woodturners and on the Register of Professional Turners
of the Worshipful Company of Turners.
More
details about myself and work can be found on my web site
at www.markhancock.co.uk.
This has brought interest in the courses I run with students
coming to my workshop in Wales from as far afield as America
and Israel. By the way it doesn't always rain in Wales!
Tools
& Equipment:
The hollow forms are all turned from green timber on a
Poolewood Euro 3000 lathe fitted with a foot switch which
is an essential safety feature when turning my style of
hollow forms. At club demos the foot switch is replaced
by a member of the audience operating the on off switch
on my commands. I use a range of different hollowing tools
namely Woodcut (original and Proform), Hamlet, the Stewart
System and the Wolok Hook Tool. All of the cranked versions
of these have had to be modified in order to achieve the
design/curves that I'm after. For the larger pieces the
Dave Reeks trapped boring bar rig is used which has been
adapted to take the previously mentioned hollowing tools
along with custom made ones. Wall thickness is monitored
using a flexi light. I use a pneumatic die grinder with
dental burrs for the incising followed by microplane files
and a mini drum sander to finish the edges. The work off
the lathe is the most relaxing part of the process. I
have to thank a number of American turners for inspiring
me to do this.
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