Artist Information
I was born in Italy and came to Canada at a very young age where I grew up in Cobourg, along the northern shores of Lake Ontario. After finishing my Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toronto, I moved to Peterborough and worked for many years as a Professional Engineer and Senior Manager in the Power industry (General Electric and Rolls-Royce).
I had an early interest in working with wood, initially in finish carpentry with my father and then later in creating modern and classical furniture. As part of a project, I needed to turn four legs for a curly maple wash stand. This is where I first discovered that woodturning was not as simple as it looked. I was determined to get better at this. While I was struggling with a General 260 Lathe at the local high school the program coordinator recommended the local woodturning guild as a place to improve my skills and this started my woodturning adventures.
I joining the Kawartha Woodturners Guild (KWG) in 1997 and took in as much information as I could. Soon after joining the Guild, I developed a passion for woodturning. I purchased my first lathe, an old used Beaver unit. After a year or so, I joined the Guild executive and later became President of the Guild in 2001, continuing to serve on the executive for over 10 years, where I helped to promote and develop woodturning in the community. During this period, I was also a member of the Woodturners Guild of Ontario (WGO) for more than 5 years and then rejoined that guild in 2014. In 2016 I also joined the Toronto Woodturners Guild (TWG) and the Peace River Woodturners Guild (PRW) and the Sarasota Woodturners. I continue to be a member of the KWG, WGO, PRW, Sarasota woodturners and a member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). I have been on the KWG executive since 2013 as director of programming. In 2014 I took over as Coordinator of the KWG Hands-on training program, bringing the program and handouts up to date. In 2015 I also created an instructional program and started to teach woodturning classes formally in my studio. Refer to my Classes website page for more information.
My early woodturning started with some hands on instruction at the KWG and an instructional workshop in 1998 with Paul Ross in Ontario. A year later, I was instructed by Martin Groneng from the Kawartha Woodturners Guild in Peterborough with a focus on hollow forms. More recently in 2013, I took part in a 1 day workshop with Paul Fennell from Arizona and a 1 day workshop with Cynthia Gibson from Georgia to further explore carving, texturing, piercing and pyrography as a means of enhancing my work. In 2015 I participated in a creativity with epoxy workshop with Marilyn Campbell from Ontario. In 2016 I attended a wire sculpture course at the Haliburton School of Art and Design and I am now incorporating this into some of my woodturning art. In 2017 I attended an advanced class with Neil Turner, a well known woodturning artist from Australia. In 2018 I took a master class with Glenn Lucas from Ireland and a workshop on texturing and colouring with Art Liestman. In 2019 I took a class with Nick Agar on surface anhancement. In 2024 I took a hands on class with Graeme Priddle and Melisa Engler on surface texturing. I have also demonstrated for a number of Ontario and Florida woodturning guilds.
My work is currently featured at the following Ontario locations:
I had an early interest in working with wood, initially in finish carpentry with my father and then later in creating modern and classical furniture. As part of a project, I needed to turn four legs for a curly maple wash stand. This is where I first discovered that woodturning was not as simple as it looked. I was determined to get better at this. While I was struggling with a General 260 Lathe at the local high school the program coordinator recommended the local woodturning guild as a place to improve my skills and this started my woodturning adventures.
I joining the Kawartha Woodturners Guild (KWG) in 1997 and took in as much information as I could. Soon after joining the Guild, I developed a passion for woodturning. I purchased my first lathe, an old used Beaver unit. After a year or so, I joined the Guild executive and later became President of the Guild in 2001, continuing to serve on the executive for over 10 years, where I helped to promote and develop woodturning in the community. During this period, I was also a member of the Woodturners Guild of Ontario (WGO) for more than 5 years and then rejoined that guild in 2014. In 2016 I also joined the Toronto Woodturners Guild (TWG) and the Peace River Woodturners Guild (PRW) and the Sarasota Woodturners. I continue to be a member of the KWG, WGO, PRW, Sarasota woodturners and a member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). I have been on the KWG executive since 2013 as director of programming. In 2014 I took over as Coordinator of the KWG Hands-on training program, bringing the program and handouts up to date. In 2015 I also created an instructional program and started to teach woodturning classes formally in my studio. Refer to my Classes website page for more information.
My early woodturning started with some hands on instruction at the KWG and an instructional workshop in 1998 with Paul Ross in Ontario. A year later, I was instructed by Martin Groneng from the Kawartha Woodturners Guild in Peterborough with a focus on hollow forms. More recently in 2013, I took part in a 1 day workshop with Paul Fennell from Arizona and a 1 day workshop with Cynthia Gibson from Georgia to further explore carving, texturing, piercing and pyrography as a means of enhancing my work. In 2015 I participated in a creativity with epoxy workshop with Marilyn Campbell from Ontario. In 2016 I attended a wire sculpture course at the Haliburton School of Art and Design and I am now incorporating this into some of my woodturning art. In 2017 I attended an advanced class with Neil Turner, a well known woodturning artist from Australia. In 2018 I took a master class with Glenn Lucas from Ireland and a workshop on texturing and colouring with Art Liestman. In 2019 I took a class with Nick Agar on surface anhancement. In 2024 I took a hands on class with Graeme Priddle and Melisa Engler on surface texturing. I have also demonstrated for a number of Ontario and Florida woodturning guilds.
My work is currently featured at the following Ontario locations:
- Colborne Gallery in Fenlon Falls
- Eclipse Art Gallery in Huntsville
- META4 Gallery in Port Perry
- Stony Lake Furniture in Lakefield
Turning a decorative platter
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Tackling a large natural edge burl
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Activities
- President - Kawartha Woodturners Guild, 2001 - 2003
- Kawartha Woodturners Board Member 2003/2007 and 2013 to present (past president and program director)
- Coordinator of the KWG Hands-on turning course 2013 - 2015
- Annual AAW Symposia: Charlotte, SC 2000, Providence RI 2002, Tampa FL 2013, Pittsburgh 2015, Atlanta 2016, Kansas 2017 and Florida Regional Symposia 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024
- Artisanity show participant and demonstrator, 2015
- Demonstrations:
- Kawartha Woodturning Guild, 2004, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 (remote Zoom), 2022, 2023
- Woodturners Guild of Ontario, 2015, 2016, 2021 (remote Zoom), 2023, 2024
- Toronto Woodturners Guild, 2016, 2017, 2021 (remote Zoom), 2024
- TurnFest 2016 (Ontario Woodturning Symposium) and Decorative Platters Workshop/Hands on
- Simcoe Woodturners Guild, 2016, 2021 (remote Zoom)
- Peace River Woodturners, 2018, 2020, 2021 (remote Zoom), 2023, 2024
- Sarasota Woodturners, 2018
- Ottawa Valley Woodturners Guild, 2022 (remote Zoom), 2023
- Waterloo Wellington Woodturners Guild, 2023
- Kingston Woodturners Guild 1/2 Demo and 1/2 day Hands on - 2024
- South West Florida Art Expo & Competition - Featured Demonstrator - 2024
- Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- South West Florida Wood Art Expo & Competition
- 2017: Won 2nd and 3rd place ribbon for the Master Class - Artistic Category
- 2018: Won 1st place ribbon for the Master Class - Artistic Category with a Jagged Beginnings piece
- 2023: Won 1st and 2nd place ribbon for Advanced Class - Protection series and Jagged Beginnings pieces
- 2024: Won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbons for Master Class
- Buckhorn Fine Arts Festival - 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Lee Valley Vaughan Seminar on Embellishing your Platter - Taught in 2018
- Maple Leaf community workshop in Port Charlotte, Florida- taught 5 series of bowl turning classes (24 students) - Jan/Feb 2020 and in 2023 & 2024 taught multiple turning tool sharpening and bowl classes...over 60 students
