Wood turner
Mack Calder
Starting woodworking in 2018 at age 14, Mack Calder has quickly matured as a maker, creating beautiful homewares from a variety of materials including wooden burl, recycled skateboards and classical timber. Initially focused on woodturning, Mack has diversified into other disciplines of wood sculpture, now incorporating carving and texturing into his boxes, bowls, platters and decorative pieces.
He was introduced to woodturning by a friend, quickly learning the basics on a shared lathe, with guidance from veterans of the craft. Within two years he had bought his own lathe and set up a small workshop, allowing him to hone his skills and experiment further with his own style. Despite his youth, the unique blend of creativity, quality and function in his works shows great potential for his future as a maker and artisan.

Artworks

Mack Calder talks about himself:
I love working with my hands and the tactile experience of seeing a piece of gnarled burl become a beautiful work of art at my fingertips is most satisfying. The tactile as well as the visual qualities of timber are so appealing to me.
In addition, I love recycling, so seeing a disused product like a skateboard morph into a beautiful piece of art, which is functional as well as beautiful, is most satisfying. “