About Craig Lofton

"Sculpture is not the mere cutting of the form of anything in stone; it is the cutting of the effect of it." - John Ruskin

“A bowl can be any shape. Shape is everything.” - Greg Davidge

Form is central to all three dimensional art.  Through our eyes, there is calm and comfort in symmetric forms, while there is liveliness in asymmetric forms. Wood as a medium confuses our eyes with variations in grain, color, voids, and unexpected markings. These pull and push our focus. The characteristics of each piece of wood dictate its own unique form. That form is only discovered on the lathe while removing material revealing the form that lays within. My goal is to balance the curves, intersections and proportions in concert with the unique characteristics of the piece, finding the form that best represents its purpose.

I have been woodturning since 2001. My first woodturning class was at David Ellsworth’s studio that same year. Ever since, David has been a steady influence through his ceaseless encouragement and valued and pointed critiques. I spent some time struggling to find my own voice - a shape or a design that was just me. Before woodturning, I owned a software development company and was very focused on protecting the company’s intellectual property. So, I have been ultra-sensitive to artists’ styles and work and am careful not to imitate their work.

When I say I struggled, what I really mean is that I was focused and determined to come up with some round object created on my lathe that no one else had ever made before. I tried hard. I was focused. I spent a lot of time at it.

A few years into that mode, I attended a panel discussion at a AAW Symposiums where David and Bill Luce had a lively discussion. Bill described his journey as a woodturner. He talked about turning 10,000 bowls, all the same shape; focused on refining and perfecting the shape, millimeter by millimeter, over and over, hour after hour. Bill’s shapes were so good, it was clear his commitment paid off. His story of dedication and focus energized me. I went home from that Symposium and decided to simply focus on turning better. My goal was simply to improve my cutting technique. I was focused, and relaxed. I forgot all about struggling and enjoyed what I was doing and loved going into my studio everyday and turning bowl after bowl. As my technique improved so did the shape of my bowls. That was fun, and gratifying, as well. I never met Bill Luce, just heard him speak that once, but he had a major impact on my turning.

For a number of years I was intrigued by the idea of incorporating metal into my woodturning.  I liked the concept of combining organic and inorganic. In 2014 the idea to cast a wooden bowl into bronze hit me while talking to a bronze sculptor, Michael Gurule, in a Santa Fe, NM gallery.  It wasn’t exactly the marriage of wood and metal that I had thought long about, but more the complete transformation from wood into metal.

I recall the moment of inspiration vividly. I pictured a dark, heavy wood grain on the outside of a bowl with a brilliantly polished, smooth bronze interior: stark contrasts of texture, color and temperature. I asked Michael to teach me how to make molds and waxes, sprue and dip the wax, cast bronze, chase the metal, apply the patina, and polish the metal. That changed everything. That is when I felt my hobby had actually turned into art, and I had found what I had been looking for for so long.

I am not at all conflicted or torn between woodturning and bronze casting.  I love doing both.  Turning a bowl takes a few hours and transforming it into bronze takes months, literally. All my bronze pieces start with woodturning.  In consideration of how long it takes to make a bronze vessel, I focus even more on turning a better form so the investment in time and cost are truly worth it. So, this always takes me back to the Bill Luce panel discussion. How fun is that!

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