Baskets, Three Parts
Christian Burchard

One does not need to be an art critic to appreciate the beauty in the calm, gentle lines of a turned wood vessel. The wood offers a manuscript of its life, echoing its joys and hardships with every grain. Wood is a living material, and we can relate to its struggles — in a way it seems to mirror our lives. To a large extent it is the richness of the wood that has rocketed this relatively new medium to art stardom.

It is difficult to imagine a better object than the vessel to present the incomparable beauty of wood. It is a canvas uniquely suited to take advantage of the wood’s inherent organic traits. Bark inclusions and insect damage can be revealed on the open surface of an unadorned bowl.

As a counterpoint to the beauty of the wood, a graceful and elegant form can transcend the material from which it is made and speak directly to our sense of balance and design. We respond universally to the curves, angles, and clean smooth lines of a timeless form.

Christian Burchard, one of the leading artists in turned wood, celebrates the perfect union of wood and form through his delicate vessels. Marked by simplicity and clarity, his wood “baskets” find a very direct way of exposing and presenting nature’s beauty.