The Faroe Islands is an extremely beautiful country with a unique environment. Frequent harsh winds and its sub-arctic latitude, make it a challenging environment for trees to grow and consequently, the Faroe Islands are relatively treeless. Those trees that do grow, often have irregular and unusual forms as a consequence of the winds. The irregularity of the Faroese wood is an artist's delight. In 1988, a massive hurricane struck the Faroe Islands, destroying the majority the trees. After this hurricane, I realized how much the Faroese wood should be treasured and valued. Hence, the scarcity of Faroese wood as well as the beauty in its irregularities are the reasons why today, I use only Faroese-grown wood in my gallery. The creative process of woodturning, involves understanding the unique properties of a piece of wood and creating a form in tune with the demands of each individual piece of wood. My role as an artist is to try to fully capture the beauty of each piece of wood. During the process of turning, I feel a communication back and forth between the wood and myself. Indeed, woodturning is one of my main forms of communication.
