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BOOKER MOREY

Booker Morey discovered a hand process for making certain tree leaves lacy in 1993. Each leaf is processed individually, by hand and is still done that way.

Artist Statement

While I was in my engineering/consulting career, I did woodturning as a hobby. As you may know, wood turning really took off as a craft attracting many people of exceptional skills and high artistic talent over the last 25 years. I had good skills, but not the artistry that many of the better turners had. I was looking for a way to differentiate my work from others, and saw some pictures of work by the famous British natural artist, Andy Goldsworthy. He had stitched together a canvas or flag of real leaves, and in the center had drawn a circle. Every leaf and part of leaf inside the circle had been skeletonized, and I was struck by the beautiful patterns the leaf veins made. I thought I could use them in my turnings, if I could figure out how he skeletonized the leaves.

I was on a trip at the time, so I thought about it a lot, and finally decided that I knew how to skeletonize the leaves. When returned home and tried it, I failed miserably. That made me upset enough to keep trying until I did find the etching process that I now use. Then I found that people had much more interest in the leaves than the turnings, and it has grown steadily into my new career. I am very grateful that people find the leaves attractive, as I do, and it allows me to pursue the craft as a full time effort. It has been a full time effort for the past thirteen years.