Lou Pignolet's Artistic Wood Bowls

08/14/2024

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07/27/2024

My latest two small aspen burl bowls. Each is about 8" in diameter and 3" high. I am building my inventory for the Art Along the Lake Studio Art Tour (September 27 through October 6, https://www.artalongthelake.com/).

06/11/2024

I have been turning fresh cut black walnut crotches as part of a commissioned project. The first image shows the crotch with a circle to show approximately where the piece was cut for mounting on the lathe. I wanted to make sure the intersection of the branches would be near the center of the bowl. The next image shows the trimmed crotch secured to the lathe with a face plate. Images show top and side views of the fresh turned 11" diameter bowl. The grain figuring and colors are already beautiful! The bowl is now drying for sanding and oiling. I dry fresh turned bowls under controlled temperature and humidity and monitor the process with visual inspection and weight loss. The colors and figuring in this bowl will pop after sanding and oiling.

05/05/2024

A former wood turning student of mine (Bob Carruthers) asked me to post the following:
VEGA Bowl Lathe (variable speed, 24” swing) with accessories and wood turning tools for Sale. The lathe is 8 years old and not heavily used. The package includes the lathe, a chuck, faceplate, 3/8” and ½” gouges, a live center, and a OneWay Wolverine sharpening set up. He is asking $2000 for the package. The lathe would have to be picked up at his home in Atwater, Minnesota 56209. He will provide help loading the lathe onto a truck or trailer. If interested or have questions, contact Bob at 320-974-8297.
I have personally had two VEGA lathes. They are well made and great for turning large bowls. This price is a real steal. Here is a photo of Bob’s lathe.

03/19/2024

I seldom post photos of fresh turned aspen burl bowls. Their amazing beauty usually only shows in the dried, sanded and oiled bowl. This one showed such vivid figuring and colors during the turning process, I decided to post some photos of it now. I can't wait for this one to dry and be properly finished when these patterns and colors will really pop! It is interesting to compare the turned bowl to the burl. This one was like cracking open a geode (I wish it was that easy). More details are available on my web site (https://www.loupignoletbowls2.com/single-post/new-colorful-aspen-burl-turned).

03/15/2024

I am having fun turning bowls from our "rare" local aspen burls. Every one is different and everyone has beautiful grain figuring. My goal is to have a selection of these for the summer art shows. It is supposed to be winter in northern Minnesota, but we are still waiting for winter to start. It could still happen.

This aspen burl bowl is 10" in diameter, 1" in height, and 3/16" wall thickness. The burl was small, but these are so rare I turn everyone I can get. Tell me what figures you see in this bowl. Nature is so amazing. I am waiting for someone to find the fractal that generates these patterns. If you want to see more aspen burl bowls and see how they are turned, visit my web site (https://www.loupignoletbowls2.com/).

02/25/2024

Trees are my inspiration for turning unusual bowls. This is a 23" diameter bowl turned from a ground level slab cut from an old dying birch tree. My goal was to capture the unusual patterns from the onset of decay, spalting. It is tricky to catch spalting at just the right time. Birch trees decay quickly. The last image shows the 8" thick slab cut from the bottom of this tree. The other images show the turned, dried, sanded, and oiled bowl. The patterns and colors are nice. If you are interested in the story of turning this bowl, check out my blog post (https://www.loupignoletbowls2.com/single-post/unusual-spalted-birch-root-slab-bowl).

08/25/2023