Adam Cottrill: Adam is best known for turned wood boxes, many with delicate details and inlay, but he makes a wide range of turned items including bowls, platters and hollow forms. Most of the woods used in these projects have been harvested from local hardwood trees that had to be taken down because of storm damage or disease. There is just something so satisfying in rescuing and revealing the beauty of material that was destined for the shredder or burn pile.

Most of Adam’s pieces are functional and are meant to be used, and as such are finished with durable and food safe finishes that are easy to maintain and should last a lifetime of regular use.

Form, balance, and tactile quality of even the most utilitarian piece cannot be overstated. In this age of synthetic, disposable everything, there is an unmistakable satisfaction in owning and using a beautiful handmade piece, especially if it has a story. More recently, Adam has been experimenting with the addition of texture and colour to many of his pieces to bring out and enhance the beauty of the wood and add additional dimension to his work.

Adam is a member of the Grey Bruce Woodturners Guild, and is a former board member of Intersections Wood Collaborative where he taught classes several times a year.