I work primarily with wood, a medium that offers enormous opportunities for artistic expression. The possibilities range from graceful objects of practical utility to realistic sculptural shapes, to abstract forms expressing movement, color, or mood. Part of the curriculum at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding included the making of tools used by shipwrights including basic and specialized mallets, wood planes, and bevel gauges. From there I began to make imaginative parodies of those tools in a growing collection that I have called my “Useless Tools” – some of which are shown here. And after learning woodturning, I’ve used the lathe to produce many graceful functional items such as bowls, goblets, platters and a variety of kitchen utensils that take advantage of the natural color and grain of various hardwoods. But my primary creative interest has been sculpture – generally contructed of purely turned elements, but often combining turned elements with found objects. These found objects have included carved wooden and ceramic figures collected over a number of decades, unusual small antique tools, old toys or parts from old toy sets, boat yard scraps, wood or ceramic items of my own creation, and wonderful discoveries from garage sales and antique malls.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve started to learn about and to work with clay – again focusing on hand built pieces that are sculptural in character. I’m finding that with clay, I can create sculptural pieces that are more complex than I can create with wood or a little closer to realistic natural forms. A few of my completed ceramic pieces are included here. Look for more as time passes.
My goals are to explore the natural beauty of wood, to reflect in novel ways on our contemporary social and natural environments, and to share my delight in the creative process. I try to do it with a touch of humor as I strongly believe that art should put a smile on the face of both the creator and the beholder.
Another section (Under "More") of this website shares my “Carmelita Stories”. Here you will find an entirely different but, for a time, equally engaging interest – bedtime stories written for my grandchildren and inspired by a wonderful sculpture by Linda Lou Horn, a Philadelphia based found-art artist. The work, titled “Minnie, Mannie, and Moe Lost Again” features an imaginative but originally unnamed camel who we named “Carmelita”. While our grandchildren have now outgrown them, the stories were a staple of overnight visits to our home and intended not only to entertain but to encourage our grandchildren – and all children – to imagine.
Another section of this website (Also under "More"), drawing on my medical background, includes a series of articles published in The American Woodturner magazine about common health problems experienced by woodturners – and, in fact, by all makers -- in a series titled "What Aches." These articles are accompanied by companion articles by other skilled turners about how to compensate at the lathe for these problems. The companion articles are included here with permission from their authors. Also included is the newest article of the series authored by Robin McIntyre. The goal was to demystify these problems and to point out ways to avoid them, treat them, or compensate for them in the work setting when they are present. (The American Association of Woodturners holds the copyright to these articles. They are published here with permission but may not be copied or otherwise used without the permission of the AAW.)
Rich Foa, 2025