Jérôme Blanc

Woodturner

©Michelangelo Foundation

A world of inspiration

Jérôme works with locally sourced green wood
He enjoys the freedom of expression that woodturning allows
His work reflects contemporary environmental issues

Growing up in a creative family, Jérôme Blanc was introduced to manual labour at an early age by his father, who ran a locksmith's workshop and was passionate about boat restoration. Inspired by these activities, Jérôme knew he would go on to work with wood. After training in cabinetmaking and carpentry at the École des Arts et Métiers in Geneva, he discovered woodturning and sculpture on a trip abroad. He now creates imaginative wooden sculptures that merge traditional woodcarving and woodturning techniques with new technologies, often mixing wood with different materials including bronze, acrylic and glass. His award-winning work has been exhibited around the world.

Interview

©Michelangelo Foundation

©Michelangelo Foundation

When did you decide to work with wood?: Wood is a material that has fascinated me since my childhood, but it was in 1999-2000, during a trip to Australia visiting Tasmanian woodworkers, that I discovered woodturning and woodcarving. Meeting my wife and travelling propelled me down an artistic path.
What was the first object you made?: My first artistic work was ‘Lumi-naissance’, a piece inspired by light which involved embedding acrylic into a piece of carved wood. Depending on the light, the object illuminates as if by magic.
Where do you find inspiration?: The world around me is my source of inspiration. Unusual aspects of nature, lifestyles and urban structures all pique my imagination. I love using my imagination to work with this living material and watch it be transformed. It’s always a pleasure.
What characterises your work?: It’s a relationship between knowledge, ideas, experimentation and innovation. I use contemporary tools and technologies with innovative ideas to preserve age-old know-how. Whilst drawing on this knowledge, we must also be open to the unknown.

Jérôme Blanc is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2003