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Hand Turned Bowls For Sale on our Online Store

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Through the use of reclaimed materials and embracing the Japanese aesthetic tradition of "Wabi Sabi", Stephen has taken the genesis of bowl turning, as well as his creative art furniture, to a higher level.  Wabi Sabi means a reverence for the imperfect, a masterful celebration of the ordinary, arranged and orchestrated to pay homage to the grace and splendor that comes with age.   Complete with cracks, crevices and holes, each piece resonating the spirit of its maker through energy transmitted from hands to wood.  Wabi Sabi is a love of simpler things, humble and authentic; a beauty otherwise lost with the avoidance of these imperfections or the presence of a high gloss finish.  Stephen's attention to detail is brought forth from deep within the heart.

Some of Staples bowl stock comes from large timbers and beams from barns and factories that have fallen prey to the wrecking ball.  Other stock comes from trees felled during land clearing.  The most beautiful bowls are generally the most difficult to turn.  Stephen usually tries to choose wood that is disfigured in some way.  These bowls tend to display more erratic grain patterns.  His favorite material is wood that is spalted.  Spalting is found when dead wood lying on the ground becomes moist just prior to decay.  A white fungus will grow on the wood causing the wood to take on an interesting pattern of coloration.  Nature has a beautiful way of expressing itself!