LARRY STEVENSON
WOODWORK ARTIST
“Endeavouring to bring out the perfect form in each piece, passion ignites a flame for masterful woodturning.”
Artist Statement:
Larry’s involvement in woodturning began in Victoria during the 70’s as part of a project to make a bedroom suite. With a used lathe and a basic box of tools he naively set out to turn a set of posts for a waterbed suite, teaching himself along the way by reading books and a basic instruction manual. Larry experienced the frustration of learning the technique of turning wood, but what stands out in his memory is that he loved the process of sculpting something out of a piece of wood. Feeling limited by laminated dimensional lumber and looking for different material to work with, he discovered a piece a figured poplar while gathering firewood. Larry remembers, “I just couldn’t bring myself to burn it in the fireplace and decided to have a go at it with the lathe. This new source of wood opened up endless possibilities and the wood’s figures and grain patterns, which are not normally found in dimensional lumber, turned out to be a dream to work with.”
Larry moved to Burnaby as a result of a career change, and while he settled into his new job, got married, and started a family, woodturning was relegated to the back burner. Fate intervened through a chance meeting at a local tool store when someone told Larry that a local woodturning guild was being formed. Larry’s passion for woodturning was re-ignited when he joined this new guild, and he has been a member of the Greater Vancouver Woodturners Guild ever since; currently serving as vice president on its executive committee.
Larry’s ongoing pursuit of this art form has led him to participate in gallery showings, and his work can be seen at various galleries in the Greater Vancouver region as well as Edmonton. His profile was featured in the Jan/Feb/Mar 2004 issue of Craft Contacts, a publication published by the Craft Association of British Columbia. Larry has also entered the West Coast Woodturning Completion for several years and in October 2004, was awarded the “Judges Award of Merit” for his piece “How Fragile We Are.” His work may be viewed on his website at www.larrystevenson.ca. He also received an “Award of Excellence” at the AAW symposium in Portland Oregon in 2018.
Artist Style:
Larry’s recent work reflects his interest in other forms of art such as pottery, blown glass, and sculptural forms and he says, “Working with different textures and colours has been fascinating to me as I try to create a piece in wood that may be thought of as belonging to a different medium. I finish some pieces to a high gloss until it has a glass-like appearance and other pieces are finished to look aged or weathered. Combining wood with other materials has provided me with creative new ideas for future pieces.” “I endeavour to bring out the perfect form in each piece paying close attention to the minutest details, whether it be a utilitarian piece or strictly an art piece. To me the finish on the piece must have as much attention as taken on the entire piece, otherwise the piece doesn’t reach its true potential.” “One must also learn how the wood will react and work with the wood. Certain woods distort drastically when they dry and this can be used to bring out forms that are unattainable by simply turning the piece” The art of woodturning has certainly become an obsession for Larry and he has found an outlet to his creative energy and passion.
Website: www.larrystevenson.ca
Email: lrstevenson@telus.net
TEL: 604-940-9760
