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French turners, true talent

Sergio Villa

Sergio Villa

Joined
Apr 13, 2013
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After some hesitation I decided to write this post, thinking that this forum is, among other things a place to learn (at least for me). Recently Odie started a thread asking for inputs from foreign turners. Now Following some photos posted in the gallery and in the forum I went to see the internet site of Henri Kuntz and from there those of other french turners listed on his site.
Perhaps everybody knows them but I did not, with few exceptions, and I was in shock. They are unbelievably talented. No doubt in my mind the best in the word.
I'm not crazy about any type of virtuosism, but their turning puts virtuosism to another level, the level of true art.
For anybody interested or just curious here is the address
http://www.alsace-woodturning.fr
 
The first wood turning club meeting that I attended at the Woodturners of North Texas, Jean-Francois Escoulen was the featured demonstrator for the month. Needless to say, I was absolutely amazed. What an introduction to wood turning. Since then, I have learned about many other incredibly talented French turners. They don't just push the limits of the envelope regarding what is possible in turning they tear the envelope into pieces and throw it away.
 
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Thanks Sergio.......It's always good to see examples of exceptional woodturning.

ooc

(Note: For those who use a Google toolbar, it easily translates pages.)
 
these guys aren't French, they are german......they will be in Utah next week, along with some pretty fair u.s. turners.........all honoring Dale Nish, and contining their celebration of woodturning

[h=2]Hans Weissflog, Germany[/h]Hans Weissflog is a full time woodturner and designer. He works in his workshop in Hil-desheim/ Germany together with his son Jakob, also a full time woodturner. He turns bowls and boxes. Hans travels a lot , does demos in Australia, Europe, USA and teaches classes.

In his demos he will show how to turn a box with a pierced lid. Also a „Drunken box“, this is a sphericon. The third demo will be a „Saturn box“, this is a box with a loose ring, made from one piece of wood. He explains also how to make chucks for all these boxes and more secrets.

jakob_weissflog_r.jpg

[h=2]Jakob Weissflog, Germany[/h]Jakob did an apprenticeship in Hans Weissflogs workshop. He is a full time woodturner and works together with Hans in his studio. He does boxes and bowls and all kinds of small turnings. He did demos in Australia , USA and Germany and taught some classes.

His demos will be: How to turn a sphere exact round without measuring, how you learn it in an apprenticeship in Germany. In the second demo he shows how to make one of his tape measures, including the chucks to hold the piece of wood on a very small rim. The third demo will be one of his boxes. It shows how to turn different pieces and put them together to have one box.

then there is Ray Key from the UK
Glen Lucas from Ireland
Guilio Marcolongo from New Zealand
Stuart Mortimer from UK

should be highly entertaining and a learning experience......maybe even get a Russell Crowe quote like in Master and Commander when Nelson ask him to pass the salt!
 
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The AAW Symposium and the Utah Symposium always have international turners.

Dale Nish was heavily involved in bringing international turners to the both.

French, German, Irish, English, Australian, New Zealanders, South African, Japanese,and others participate in these annual events.

Turners without borders, chaired by Terry Martin, is expanding the AAW interaction with Asia and Latin Americaas well as the Africa and Europe..
The exchange of ideas and friendship is a legacy of people like Dale Nish.

Al
 
Bill Boehme said:
Charlie, I think that you are confusing one thing with another. Look again at the link that Sergio posted.
Click to expand...

I believe Charlie is only saying the turners he mentioned are German turners......

ooc
 
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I know Henri KUNTZ well.
It is very talented and inventive.
It was near large wood turners, Escoulen, Mailland, Hancock and lately E.AVISERA.
I invite you to see his gallery and to send requests to him.

Knowing its opening and its kindness, it will be made a pleasure and a duty to answer a maximum of requests.

PS: it does not know that you spoke about him on your Forum, then, not made to him it surprised, flood e-mails
 
Sergio Villa said:
I wish Esperanto were more in use.
Click to expand...

It has been over fifty years since I last heard Esparanto mentioned. Do I need a wooden stake or a silver bullet? 🙄

However, I get your point. The automatic translators on the web often leave a bit to be desired since they haven't mastered context yet.
 
French Turners

Hello

I am glad to see interest in European turners, since I live in Germany. The French turners seem to me to have more of a sculptural approach to turning than others. I love their work and their uncanny abilities. I took a course with Escoulen and have seen Mailand in action. They both have great skills and vision. Escoulan worked in his father's woodturning factory even as a teenager and turning for him is like breathing. For me there was a huge learnimg curve and I am still learning. There are other very talented French turners of course who often come to symposia in the US. One German turner I know personally is Peter Hormek, who pioneered larger excentric pieces. He definitely has a gift for perfection.

Best regard,

Robert in Passau Germany
 
Robert Lane said:
Hello

I am glad to see interest in European turners, since I live in Germany. The French turners seem to me to have more of a sculptural approach to turning than others. I love their work and their uncanny abilities. I took a course with Escoulen and have seen Mailand in action. They both have great skills and vision. Escoulan worked in his father's woodturning factory even as a teenager and turning for him is like breathing. For me there was a huge learnimg curve and I am still learning. There are other very talented French turners of course who often come to symposia in the US. One German turner I know personally is Peter Hormek, who pioneered larger excentric pieces. He definitely has a gift for perfection.

Best regard,

Robert in Passau Germany
Click to expand...

Hi Robert, I'm just curious about the status of woodturning in Germany. Are there many hobby turners or they are mainly professional? Many clubs?
Thanks.
 
There truely are wonderful turners in France but also Germany, New Zealand, Australia, and of course the USA. I subscribe to Woodturning out of England and the British and Irish have some great turners as well. It's interesting to see how the turnings have gone from primarily utilitarian to more art and sculptural over there. I think the French may have led the way because I remember liking their work a long time ago. The rest of the world is catching up.
Bill I speak fluent Tennessee Hillbilly if anyone needs any translation. Ya'll come back now Ya hear.
 
Tennessee turners......over the mountain boys and girls.........historic fact
 
after the battle they buried them with some leaves


Gathering of the Overmountain Men at Sycamore Shoals by Lloyd Branson


Click to enlarge

Gathering of the Overmountain Men
at Sycamore Shoals

by Lloyd Branson

Shows the gathering of the patriot militia
just prior to their march to Kings Mountain
 
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The french have a great tradition in spindle turning for their furniture. I've seen marvelous turned table legs. Traditions, when not interrupted by un/cultural events, count. I've seen in Rome many furniture restoration shops close in the last two decades without any replacement, because of the drift of the italian society and lack of political wisdom. Italy has now lost the past artistic and artisan traditions without gaining any new perspective for the future. I hope that something will soon change in that Country, but have no hope.
 
French Turners

Sergio,

There are local groups of turners in Germany who meet monthly and discuss and show their work and turning techniques. In the last decade the number of hobby turners has grown continually as well as professionals but not to the extent it has in the US. The largest forum is www.drechselforum.de. There is a magazine for turning and a professional association. There is a lot of interest in turning technique and lathes particularily restoring older heavy lathes but many have Oneway, Kreher, or Titan (German similiar to Robust http://www.magma-titan.com/) lathes.

John,

I speak hillbilly too since I was born in East Tennessee.
 
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