Steve Sinner: Master Woodturner

Having worked with wood as his primary medium for more than 50 years, local artist Steve Sinner has mastered the art of woodturning. Woodturning is the process of fastening wood to a lathe that rotates around a centralized axis, allowing artists to use a series of chisels, gouges and other implements to carve away portions of the raw wood to create symmetrical forms. Traditionally, this process was used to create furniture legs, tool handles and other household implements. Sinner is one of a number of artists who use this technique to create finely crafted vessels. These vessels often have walls thinner than 1/8 inch, transforming rough blocks of wood into elegant forms. 

The surface of Sinner’s vessels range from meticulously rendered geometric forms based on algorithms to figurative allegories. These designs are created from a combination of mediums, including acrylic paint, gold leaf, ink and urethane. Other surfaces are embellished by selectively removing sections of the vessel, producing a screen of perforations that allow light to permeate the form. 

In addition to his independent work, Sinner seeks out local artists like Katie Kiley and Joe Meirhaeghe with whom to collaborate. The resulting works are remarkable combinations of form, material and surface decoration. 

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website