To look at one of Russ Allen’s wooden bowls is confusing because you’re certain that they aren’t even possible. As much as it is certain what they are and what they are made out of, it’s a challenge to understand how he carved them out of single blocks. They’re exquisite pieces.
The St. Albert based cabinet-maker has spent the last few years in his home workshop with his new lathe, a machine that turns pieces of wood at high speeds so that the operator can shave and shape it just as well as if it was a pile of clay on a wheel being built up into a pot.
Modestly, Allen also knows how to turn a phrase with a pun in order to describe how far along his talents are with his new practice.
“I’m scratching the surface,” he confessed. “It’s like a whole different section of woodwork, this is. I’ve only gotten to understood now how complicated it can get. It’s really in depth when you get to know it.”
He has been honing his skill for the last four years when he acquired what he calls a ‘decent’ lathe. It was right after he’d seen some other artists’ lathe works. He knew he had to get in on the action.
“I just started doing it. I had this itch I had to scratch.”
It’s only recently that his work has started popping up in galleries and boutiques. He has had some pieces on commission at Modern Eyes Gallery on Perron Street. This show at the gallery in the Glenrose hospital is a major step forward. Allen only hopes to further refine his talent to be at the level of the artists who first inspired him like Edmonton’s Brian McEvoy who also further cuts and designs his pieces with lasers and other tools.
“He does it all himself. He turns the bowl. He cuts the piece. He paints it. He does pyrography. I’m gobsmacked! It’s an artform really.”
Allen’s show will run until Feb. 26. The Inside Gallery is located at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital at 10230 - 111 Ave. in Edmonton. Call 780-735-7999 for more information.
