Bruce Ross

I’m a native Northern Californian who has previously dabbled in pottery and photography. I began wood turning a few years ago and I love the form and function of bowls. There are many marvelous woods in California, both native and orchard. I thought what better way to utilize some of the wood and provide quality mementos than to turn the wood into functional, beautiful works of art that can become family heirlooms. I hope you enjoy the result as much as I have enjoyed being involved in memorializing these priceless treasures of northern California.

Although I’ve only been turning wood a short time I have been a potter for over thirty years. I thoroughly explored bowl form in that media and have transferred that experience into wooden forms. Although similar, there are qualities unique to the different media. I prefer working with locally available woods rather than exotics. Woods such as oak, manzanita, bay, sycamore, and others gleaned from the wild become beautiful, functional items. Local orchard woods like walnut, olive, and plum are also beautiful. My wood is finished with a blend of food grade mineral oil and natural waxes, polished and buffed. Unblemished bowls are food safe but will lose some of their gloss when washed. All wood items benefit from periodic applications of food grade oil or wax blends and can be buffed to restore their shine.