Since my youth I have enjoyed painting, carving and  woodworking.  Several years ago I became interested in woodturning and developed a passion for the creative potential of original designs that are a culmination of this background.  I began with small craft items, then my work evolved to turned vessels, sculpted bowls, and abstract wood sculptures or assemblages.

 When possible, I rescue discarded material or downed trees and use species native to the Northwest.  I  also use some beautiful woods from the Americas, Africa, and Australasia.  Like each of us, every variety and individual piece of wood has its own advantages, challenges and surprises.  Wood is not a passive medium and does not always accept the dictates of the artist.  An interactive process with the material often leads to “opportunities for new directions” as a piece evolves.  I have learned to accept that small cracks and imperfections are part of the character of wood that seldom detract from the final intent.  It is an ongoing rewarding and sometimes humbling learning experience.  Always my goal is to explore and enhance the beauty of the wood through design and finishing.     

 My designs are influenced by the surroundings in our historical coastal Northwest town: the islands, the shore, the motion and flow of water reflected in the swirl of the natural grain of wood.  My artistic philosophy?  I do not feel that art finds validity from leaving the viewer uncomfortable, shocked, nor trying to decipher some message evident only to its creator.   Beauty itself is my goal.  It is my hope the  objects I create will give someone as much pleasure in ownership as the pleasure I have experienced  in creating  them.

      Carroll Simpson