Robert
Bigham (Gatesville,
TX)
I
was born in Coryell County, Texas in 1949 and have lived there all
my life. I started doing woodwork in 1980, working out of my garage
until I had so much equipment there was no room for my wife’s
car. In 1989, I built my current shop, a 30’ x 60’ metal
building in my back yard, where I built cabinets and furniture as
a hobby. Then in 1997, I bought a used wood lathe at an auction. I
taught myself wood turning with the help of instructional books. At
first, I turned solid pieces of wood but became frustrated at wasting
so much wood to make a bowl. To conserve wood, I learned to construct
bowls from small segments. Much of the wood I use is harvested form
the surrounding area. I use mesquite, pecan and walnut. Other woods
I use are exotics from around the world. I like the challenge of assembling
a bowl from many pieces and sometimes become obsessed with making
a new assembly technique work. Each turning contains from as few as
thirty to over 1,000 pieces glued together in intricate patterns that
go all the way through the walls of the bowl. It may take a week or
more to complete a piece due to the complexity of the design and drying
time of the glue. Many of my pieces have a southwest design. Thanks
for your interest in my work.
