Jubal Prevatte, Wood Craftsman

Jubal Prevatte’s turned and carved work is an exploration into the stories told by trees and the lands around them. It’s process-led: a responsive and active listening to the material. Logs are selected for moments of tension such as branchings, burrs, and knots. On the lathe, Prevatte will seek out and centralise those discovered details and allow them to direct where he cuts and how deeply he carves.

Once the turning is finished, another stage of metamorphoses begins. Prevatte allows environmental stresses to continue to pull and shape the piece, creating organic undulations, cracks, splits or mounds. These alterations often present the opportunity for mending with twine or splints, providing ballast for the wood and adding textural contrasts. The finish of the piece, whether with oil, wax or charring, is in direct response to the material’s qualities and grain.

In Jubal’s words: ‘I’ve dismissed the idea of being a master of my craft or the material… instead seeking to allow the wood and its stories to be the master of me.’