If you have followed my blog for a while now, then you know one of the arts I am fascinated with is wood art. So I was thrilled to come across another fabulous wood artist on Etsy! Today's featured artist is Ray Cole. Here is my interview with Ray, and be sure to check out some of his fabulous items below!!!
Let's start with the basic intro - what is your name?
Ray Cole.
Tell us about yourself. Are you married, have children?
Yes, I am married and have a son and a dog, and I spend a lot of time making things in my wood shop.
What sort of items do you have in your shop?
I have lots of different things in my shop. Salad bowls, Nut Bowls, Christmas Ornaments, Cutting boards, hand mirrors, pocket mirrors, coffee scoops, spatula's, vases. Coming soon -- bread knifes and turned boxes.
How long have you been doing your craft?
I have been turning for about 6 years. My brother showed me one weekend, and I was hooked. I joined the local wood turning club and started taking classes from the local world class turners and any experts that came through the area.
Where do you get your inspiration from for your work?
Sometimes it is just beautiful forms that I have seen; sometimes it is an amalgam of ideas that have accumulated in my mind. I like to make things and I like to make things that look really cool.
How long have you had your Etsy shop and what made you decide to take that step to open it?
I started my Etsy shop last year after a flurry of craft shows. I can see it is going to take some time to build, but it gives me an outlet for my work that does not require packing up everything, setting up a booth and manning it for a couple of days then packing back up and going home. Etsy is nice because when somebody buys something you can pack it in a box and put it in the mail. However, I did not realize that you needed to become an expert photographer, understand SEO and lots of other stuff besides woodturning to make it work. But it is fun.
Do you have any upcoming projects that you want to share with us?
Right now I am making a series of turned boxes to put on my site. The prototypes looked pretty cool. Now I just have to make a bunch, photograph them and add them to my site.
Follow this link to see Ray's work for yourself:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/wonderswithwoodHere are a few of my favorites:



