About the Artist My name is Chas Thornhill. I live in Poetry, Texas with my wife Anna and a crazy labradoodle named Domino. I have been drawing and painting since I was a toddler. I studied art in high school and attended the Art Institute of Atlanta. Though I have never worked professionally as an artist or illustrator, I have continued to create art and sculpture in various mediums throughout my life. Because I have always seen art as an elective activity rather than a vocation, the pieces I create are much more of a representation of who I am and what interests me. In August of 2009 I decided to try a new medium and took a woodturning class. I discovered I have a talent for turning bowls, vessels and hollow forms on the lathe and lately I have concentrated my creative efforts there. In addition to turning bowls and such, I make handmade pens, Christmas tree ornaments, jewelry and many other things on the lathe. The process begins with finding suitable wood. I cut most of the wood used in my woodturning myself. I prepare the wood for the lathe, turn the pieces, finish the pieces with an appropriate oil or shellac, and then photograph them for this website. Some of the pieces require considerable drying time and may be rough turned then set aside for weeks or months before they are remounted and turned to their finished shape and dimensions. Such is the nature of woodturning. Many of the pieces warp or "move" extensively between roughing and finishing, sometimes yielding unexpected results. Often, the finished piece is different than I imagined in the beginning, and sometimes the piece warps or cracks to the extent that it can not be finished. When a piece turns out well, I am always amazed that the object I am holding in my hand was part of a tree or log rotting on the forest floor only days or weeks ago. Without me and my lathe, it would have merely disintegrated over time. Instead, that piece of wood became a bowl or vessel, pen or ornament and should conceivably last for generations. Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have about my woodturning pieces, artwork, or photography. Everything on the website was made by me. I photograph all the pieces for the website. I also produced this website and maintain it myself, so if you notice something that isn't working or a spelling error, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks very much for visiting my site. If you are interested in purchasing a piece shown here or would like to commission a piece please contact me through the form on the CONTACT page or email me directly. Chas