| artist profile |
As the wood turns … Paul Tolar creates art on the lathe
by Katherine Russell
Paul Tolar came to Moultrie more than 40 years ago and discovered his art at the Colquitt County Arts Center , but his experience in practical woodworking goes back even further .
“ I was born in Florida and grew up in Tallahassee and St . Augustine ,” Tolar said . “ Before my wife and I came to Moultrie in 1977 , my involvement with art was sporadic . I sketched , took a few classes , and built a few craft projects . Then I discovered the Arts Center here – which still inspires me to this day – and took classes in pottery and photography . That ’ s where I first learned about composition and proportion .
“ My interest in art really bloomed when I started working with local photographer Ann Ashley ,” he said . “ She encouraged me to study how light , form , and medium work together to make a piece of work pop in an interesting and beautiful way .”
Tolar ’ s experience with woodworking began when he
“ It ’ s important to remember that wood is an organic material that was once alive , so it tends to move .”
was employed in a boatyard several decades ago , where he built doors and windows for commercial fishing boats .
“ I started turning in 2018 and educated myself through magazines and online videos ,” he said . “ A year later the opportunity arose for me to study at the John C . Campbell Folk School in western North Carolina . The class I took involved turning , wood selection , design , and embellishment .”
Wood turning is the craft of shaping a piece of wood as it turns on a spinning lathe . Chisels and similar tools are often used for this purpose , and the final product is usually symmetrical around the axis of rotation . The craftswoman or -man is known as a turner , and the craft itself is called turning or turnery .
Tolar described a key difference between his early and contemporary workings with wood : “ In cabinet work or cabinetry ,
30 MoultrieScene JANUARY 2023