John Hall
Gisborne

 

John Hall has been turning wood for about 20 years now. He describes always having had an interest in wood, and when invited to join to the newly formed Gisborne Woodturners Group, John "was hooked". Along with the club came the newsletter which John has also been producing for 20 years. The monthly newsletter became a strong driver for John to do lots of research so as to provide content to fill the pages.

John loves working with wood. Apart from the pleasure of it, John enjoys seeing what the wood will reveal. He also takes great pleasure in seeing how different mediums work together. This can be seen in his works that mix local materials such as kauri with paua.

John sources his wood from varous sources.  Local residents frequently offer wood to the woodturner's group when they cut down old trees to build new homes or after storms  This means that it lives on as an artwork, rather than firewood. Describing himself as a hobbyist who sells occaisionally, John's work is available for purchase at the Tairawhiti Museum shop and Carpe Diem in Gisborne, and at Kura Gallery in Auckland and Wellington. John also exhibits annually in the Gisborne Artists and Potters Exhibition also at the Tairawhiti Museum.

Many years ago, John was instrumental in the formation of the Gisborne Guild of Arts and Crafts, of which he has the privilege of being a life-member.

John can be contacted on john-hall@clear.net.nz for commission work.