Woodturning dentist Michael Foster

When you look at Michael's work, you can instantly tell that this man has a mathematical and scientific mind.
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ichael FosterMONDAY 22 JULY 2013 Tegan Foley delves inside the mathematical mind of woodturner and full-time dentist Michael Foster I think this has to be the first time that we have profiled a woodturner who is also a dentist! I must say that it is an unusual honour to do so as Michael's work is simply stunning. The latest piece he shared with me was 'Blowing Smoke', which is part his of 'Knot Art' series. Whilst I cannot claim to understand the mathematical principles behind the design of such a piece, aesthetically, it appeals to me greatly. So, I was eager to find out about Michael's interests and just how he made his foray into turning given his medical background. Michael explains that he was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He went to college at the University of Colorado and then obtained his DDS degree at the CU School of Dentistry: "I then went on to complete a 20-year career with the Public Health Service at several locations around the US, with my last station being in Alaska, which I loved, but it was just too dark in winter for my wife, Susan." After retiring from the PHS, Michael and his family made the decision to move to Susan's ancestral home in Springfield, Vermont. Michaels tells me that he still practises dentistry full-time but manages to balance this with his time in the workshop creating his turned objects. Luckily, his wife allows this because it keeps him happy, and also because she is very artistically gifted herself. Discovering woodturning Michael tells me that he started woodworking in 1982, soon after he graduated from dental school: "A friend taught me basic shop skills in his wood shop and my first bowl was turned on the Shopsmith lathe, which I purchased when I moved to New York in 1986." Given his new-found passion, he decided to spend a weekend learning to turn with Russ Zimmerman, which was back in 1988. Michael recalls having some trouble getting to grips with the Shopsmith and also experiencing his fair share of catches and flying shrapnel. "The remainder of my turning education was largely trial and error with an occasional trip to attend a symposium," he tells me. As his love of turning developed, Michael realised it was time to buy a new lathe as he had outgrown the Shopsmith, so he made the transition to a Woodfast lathe in 1992. "Using my Shopsmith, my new lathe and some plans from a woodworking magazine, I was able to construct my first segmented piece and that was it. I was hooked!" Over the years, as his turning skills have developed, Michael has designed and completed numerous segmented pieces as well as adding to and extending his turning repertoire. Turning style When you look at Michael's work, you can instantly tell that this man has a mathematical and scientific mind. Michael alludes to the fact that he has always been fascinated by the sciences but especially enjoys reading about the latest in astronomy, physics and biology. In his own words: "I find beauty in the more ordered mathematical forms as well as in the organic forms found in nature. Many of the forms and shapes that I have come across are unusual, but quite interesting. I find it a fulfilling challenge to translate some of these forms into pieces derived from turning." Michael explains that recently he has been exploring various methods of altering turned forms and he also enjoys adding texture such as carving, which helps to add an extra dimension to what can be created on the lathe. As you can see with many of his pieces, this turner also likes experimenting with texture, colour and pyrography techniques. Unsurprisingly, Michael has always had a love for art which stems from his childhood. These days he enjoys going to museums. As a teenager, however, he did some oil painting and took some art classes in college, but it was only in his adult years that he discovered his real passion in the combination of woodturning and sculpture. When I asked Michael why he finds wood such a pleasing medium to work with he refers to the fact that this material provides an endless palette of colour, texture and grain, and to its innate workability. In Michael's words, he has not really developed a signature style, mostly because he is drawn to learning new techniques and trying to work outside of his comfort zone. Michael says that he is always motivated to try to create a piece that involves the learning of a new skill or producing a piece that is very different from his previous work. As Michael says: "Life is too short not to follow your passion."