Merete Larsen
Mastery on the Lathe
“I like the contrast between the piece of solid wood that I mount on my lathe and the delicate and translucent object that emerges from it after hours and hours of turning.”
For Danish artist, Merete Larsen, her knowledge and experience working in wood is extensive. She began turning nearly 15 years ago and continually strives to refine her skills and intuition around the material. Cutting sections of wood straight from the log, she brings them into the studio for work on the lathe.
Her objective: Extract forms of elegance and refinement. Turned on the lathe without internal support, the walls of a Larsen vessel are so thin they are measured in millimeters. Working with woods native to Denmark, such as ash, beech and sycamore, her pieces becomes so light and delicate they are rendered translucent. Pieces with color or stains in her vibrant palette retain this quality; the grain and character of the wood remains apparent beneath the tints.
Extraordinarily, their volume and appearance of mass belie their near absence of weight.