Ellsworth, David (1944– )

US wood craftsman and artist. He is primarily known for his experimentation and creativity with the medium of wood. He made thin-walled wooden vessels, more like those made by potters or glassblowers than traditional woodturners, often using tools he devised himself.

He was born in Iowa City, Iowa and, after starting as a folksinger/guitarist, he attended architecture school, but took his degrees in fine arts at the University of Colorado. He opened a woodturning studio in Boulder, Colorado, in 1975. The thin-walled wooden vessels he produced were distinctive pieces, designed to exploit the natural features of wood. They gained him a wide public, many exhibits, and numerous awards and honours. In 1991, he moved on to a new phase with his ‘Solstice Series’, in which he applied both fire and paints to the natural surface of wood, further extending his craft into the more creative area of art.