Bert Marsh
Exhibitor
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As a boy of 14, just beginning my apprenticeship in cabinet making, I got my first look at a woodturning lathe and was immediately impressed by this awesome look at a woodturning lathe and was immediately impressed by this awesome machine. I was fascinated by the way in which square sections of wood were transformed into beautifully shaped round pieces, by the way the shavings flew and the noise it made.
Later I had the opportunity to begin turning myself; little did I realise then how developing that particular skill was to affect my later life. At the time my future lay in furniture making, or so I thought, but as the years passed, fate caused my career to take other directions. For awhile I found satisfaction in teaching, but a heart attacked changed that and that eventually led me to pursue a new vocation - woodturning.
From an early age, I have felt a profound need to work with wood; I love the material passionately. There is no complex philosophy attached to my work I do; I am simply striving to achieve the perfect form, the purest possible curves expressed in simple, uncluttered shapes that will expose the beauty of the wood to the full. In seeking that goal I find my inspiration in many everyday objects, but most of all I am inspired by the wood itself.
Understanding the wood is an important part of being able to work it successfully, and the more I have found out about it, the more I have come to appreciate and admire it. As with any occupation, woodturning involves acquiring a range of basic skills, but those skills are merely a starting point. They must be perfected and used as a basis for experimentation if your work is truly to express your own personality.
Achieving success as a wood turned has not been easy, but there is no secret to my success. It has come through hard work and a passion for the material, a desire for perfection, years of experience and a natural ability to manipulate both tools and machines, which I was lucky to be born with.
Email: bert.marsh@btinternet.com
Telephone: 01444 254 810