Chattahoochee Hills, GA
Steven Potts is an artist raised in Jackson, Georgia and now residing in the city of Chattahoochee Hills – a community in metro Atlanta, Georgia.
He started turning wood full time about sixteen years ago, after being inspired by a local artist he discovered on one of his many trips to the North Georgia Mountains. He watched the artist turn for nearly half that day. Afterwards, he ran home and bought a lathe from a local store and the rest is history. Many lathes and many tools later, his artwork has evolved into a true talent.
Steven uses unusual, rare domestic and exotic woods to make his unique vessels. He incorporates classical shapes, scrolled sculptural designs, inlays, and the natural inclusions and formations of the wood into his lathe turned pieces. He also likes to use a variety of natural ornamentation with his artwork. Exotic Wood finials, fossils, minerals, gems, and unusual organics elements that were collected from all over the world are used to crown many of his pieces and used as an avenue for artistic expression. These two seemingly different influences explore the concept of wood given to movement and new art form. They also make each piece a very special and individualized work. The glasslike finishes are made by using a special high gloss lacquer mixture.
“Turning wood has become a passion that truly consumes me. Every tree, every branch, every burl has a story to tell, and if I can show everyone how beautiful the tree really is - not just what you see on the outside, but on the inside - then I will have done my job. A Tree is a living organism that has purpose in life. Whether it is to give needed shade, food, or shelter. So now I can preserve it, and it will continue to live, and show its beauty forever.”
Steven does no harm to any tree to make these beautiful vessels. All wood comes from rare reclaimed trees, or from burl growths that are removed from live trees.
