Ken Deaner

I have a passion for turning. I am President of the Long Island Woodturners Association and a member of the A.A.W. and this is my fifth year writing and editing the clubs’ newsletter. My work is proudly displayed in exhibits sponsored by the club on Long Island. I am committed to fostering a wider interest in wood turning on Long Island. I have participated in demonstrations designed to share my knowledge with others and have taught workshops in bowl and spindle turning, finishing, and tool sharpening. I have learned a great deal from other turners including David Ellsworth, Ernie Conover, Al Stirt, John Jordan and Jacques Vesery.

I enjoy faceplate turning and like working in figured wood. A consistent theme in my turning is deference to the natural beauty of the tree. I will often leave a bark inclusion or knot in my final product. I prefer leaving the wood in its natural color, figure, and grain but am open to experimenting. I like using ebony to accent many of my hollow forms and covered bowls. Ebony’s shiny blackness against other woods defines the extremes found in nature.

As a turner I give a tree a second chance at life. I take a dead or dying tree and form objects of beauty. My work is designed to move in unison with the expanding and contracting forces that exist in the wood. Turning wood involves me in a process that allows me to create while giving me peace and pleasure.