Meet#4 A presentation by Andrew Potocnik, Wood turner

Over the past 15 years, Andrew Potocnik has built up a considerable reputation as one of Australia’s foremost wood turners. During this period, he has exhibited widely in Australia and the U.S.A., while his work is held in public and private collections worldwide. Andrew’s work has been featured in numerous publications, and is a regular writer for the Australian Wood Review, as well as other journals. Last but not least, Andrew is a woodcraft teacher at a Melbourne secondary college, and a longstanding member of the VWA. 

An evening not to be missed!

Artist’s statement

Ever since childhood, whenever I wanted, or needed, to make something, I found wood to be the first material I turned to. It wasn’t always the best choice, but it was a material I felt comfortable with, and one that I could convert into whatever I needed.

At high school, I met a teacher who encouraged creative use of wood, setting convention aside in order to encourage aspects that were radical at that time. He encouraged me to salvage and recycle wood, and even worse, he taught me to appreciate wood for its colour, smell, feel, grain and any other intrinsic quality it may have.

With an introduction like this, where else could I go, but continue to explore all those wonderful qualities every piece of wood conceals, just needing a sympathetic cut to expose it to those who see it as nothing more than a renewable resource, ready to be exploited, rather than appreciated!

Now, I gain enormous enjoyment from seeing how people from other cultures explore their wood, how they expose and celebrate its beauty, and how it’s integrated into their culture and general existence.

As an artist, I continually find inspiration to explore new directions in creating objects from wood. As a teacher, I try to pass information on to my students, hoping that they too will be inspired to explore wood. Celebrating it as a living material that grows around us, as a material that can give voice to ideas conjured in our minds, as a material that says something about our culture and world.

Contact Will Matthysen 0438 984 415 for any questions.