Mathias Lecocq

Woodturner

©Creation Mathias

©Rolens F. Vaney

©Creation Mathias

An advocate for traditional woodwork

Mathias is a designer, woodturner and wood sculptor
He enjoys teaching his craft to others
Traditional techniques are essential to him

With a mixed background of studying design, woodturning and wood sculpting, Mathias Lecocq knows his way around creating. Although he masters the most up-to-date technology, the craftsman is affirmative: nothing compares to traditional techniques of woodturning and sculpting. Working first as a freelance designer, Mathias would buy new tools every time he carried out a project. He opened up a shop to present his work and then found his workshop. He gives courses to all sorts of students, from beginners to connoisseurs. Passionate about his craft, for Mathias teaching is a way of sharing with others. He remembers that the very first wooden object he ever created was a toy truck when he was only 6 or 7 years old.

Interview

©Creation Mathias

©Rolens F. Vaney

How did you go from design to woodwork?: I always knew I wanted to do crafts, and my father is also a wood enthusiast. I studied design, which allowed me to work with many materials, make technical drawings, and have the tools to make a project from start to finish. But I much prefer handiwork.
What types of projects do you enjoy?: I like whole projects, from idea to creation, from technical drawings to 3D modelling, the creation and then communication and online marketing. Whether for clients or from my own imagination, seeing the project from start to finish is wonderful.
What is it about woodwork that you love?: Handcrafting is about seeing gradual transformations. With wood, there is no room for mistakes. You remove chip after chip, and once removed, there is no going back and I love this challenge. ‘'As long as there is wood, there is hope,’’ my teacher used to say.
Do you have a favourite type of wood to work with?: My favourite wood is walnut. Turning can be done with any wood, the force of the machine does the work, but for sculpting it is very different, and walnut is beautiful and hard. Each type of walnut is different, it is not homogeneous like beech or lime.

Mathias Lecocq is a rising star: he began his career in 2020 and he started teaching in 2019