Matthew Hatala

The main thrust of my work if form and not function. The materials that I use are mostly wood, rare and domestic woods from all over the world, but you can also find stone, grass, nuts, seed pods, and plastics used in my
work. The rough material is mounted on the lathe, a machine that spins the work in a circle on a horizontal plane. Then the process of truing the form begins. I then use hand tools to shape the outside as it spins, and then excavate the insides. If the wood is green it is roughed out to a thickness of 3?4 and left to dry for 3 to 9 months. Then remounted and finished turned to desired thickness of 3/16 of an inch. The piece is sanded to a scratch less surface and then a finished is applied. The finishes I use are varied and many, oil, deft, wipe on varnish, c.a., wax, an waterlox, always looking for the most complimentary finish for each piece.