Tom Becraft- Woodturning For Life

Tom Becraft

The Foundation. Since building my first kayak (spruce-ribbed and canvas-covered) at age 13, I have been enamored by how the natural world intersects with the activities of daily living. My wood-turning is an expression of humankind’s interactions with trees, worms and the wonders of creative processes.
Woodworking – Not Just a Hobby, But a Way of Life. Over a span of 50 years, I
served as an educator, pastor, and ultimately as a clinically trained hospice and hospital chaplain. Like many, I strived to bring life into sometimes crappy situations.    I was at bedside at over a thousand deaths in Emergency Departments and Intensive Care Units. Compassion fatigue was a daily threat.

Thus, the wood shop became both a sanctuary for preserving my emotional and spiritual equilibrium and a place to create tangible reminders that beauty can come from decaying wood. For me, life is art and art is life.
My artistic focus: one-of-a-kind vessels reflecting humankind’s uniqueness
• Live and natural edge bowls with twisted grain patterns
• Burl bowls, sometimes incorporating alien epoxy elements
• Segmented bowls using a variety of contrasting woods
• The whimsical such as Thanksgiving and Christmas gnomes and inside-out
turnings
Asian Influences. As a young adult I was forever influenced by living in Korea (two
years) and Japan (16 years). I was fully immersed in the culture, language and concepts
of kintsugi, where flaws are embraced and accentuated as a beautiful part of a sensory
experience. This means that my creations today are intended to be held and seen and
appreciated for their merging of humanity’s and nature’s idiosyncrasies. Thus, my art is
often a trigger for related conversations.
Island Influences. After my time in Japan, I became a wood shop instructor at a private
high school in Hawaii. Alongside campus chaplaincy and other teaching duties, I taught
ukulele-building classes for students and their parents. My hands helped shape
hundreds of unique instruments. I was mentored during this time by Mike Chock,
founder of the world’s leading school for ukulele-makers.
Claiming the Title of Artist. I occasionally wear a T-shirt that says, “Sometimes I talk to myself. Then we laugh together.” Multiple personalities? Through the years, I’ve worn
many labels: Pastor, Teacher, Professor, Sensei, Chaplain. Am I an artist? Do I fit in any
particular box? The beauty of woodturning is that much gets stripped away. In the end,
I hope that all that remains is the loveliness that comes from the wildness of it all.