Artist: Bill Wanezek

Artist Statement

  • I was born, raised, and lived in southwestern Wisconsin for most of my life, until my wife and I discovered Western North Carolina a few years ago. We set a goal of retiring
    somewhere in the Asheville area and found a home in Burnsville in 2007. We love it here and wonder why we waited so long.
    My woodworking career started as a youngster working with my dad. Dad was a housepainter by trade but did a lot of projects around the house. He would let me “help” him and I learned a lot from him.
    My first job was a long-term process which was frustrating. I needed a creative outlet which would let me get results in a short amount of time. Since I had always enjoyed
    woodworking, I bought a lathe and started turning bowls, plates, and candlesticks.
    I really enjoyed wood turning so I kept buying wood and making things. Pretty soon we and our relatives had run out of room, but I didn’t want to quit, so I bought a better lathe,
    made more, and we started going to art shows. We went to a lot of art shows over several years with all the hassle involved. We quit art shows and had a gift store for a
    few years. I also started doing furniture repair and refinishing. All of this in addition to a full time job. After a few years of this pressure, we closed the store and woodworking took a back burner until retirement.
    When we moved to Burnsville, I was determined to scratch the itch that had been there all these years, so I got back to woodworking. The result is the fine handcrafted wood
    turnings and carvings that you see displayed here. To me, the most gratifying part of woodworking is unlocking the natural beauty hidden inside raw lumber. I will often start
    out with a concept and change it as the beauty of the wood reveals itself.
    I currently have about 30 different kinds of domestic and exotic hardwoods from which I make a wide variety of functional and decorative products including plates, bowls, pen sets, letter openers, clocks and much more. I use only clear finishes, so the color you see is the natural color of the wood.

  • Artist: Bill Wanezek