Paul Kristafor

Woodturner | Porterville, South Africa

Revealing beauty behind wooden walls

Paul combines wood with copper, brass and silver in his objects
The green wood he works with is locally sourced
He aims to evoke a sense of stillness through his simple forms

Paul Kristafor creates delicate, decorative and thin-walled vessels with a contemporary African aesthetic. He started working creatively with wood in 2014, and began using the lathe in 2019. Paul works exclusively with green wet timber that he sources from a handful of local tree surgeons. During the drying process, his vessels get their distinctive warped forms that are accentuated by the inevitable opening up of voids and cracks in the wood’s walls. "I embrace those natural cracks by reinforcing and embellishing the seams with non-ferrous metals," Paul says. To finish, he often bleaches, ebonises or scorches the exterior to create a sense of contrast that echoes throughout the vessel.

Interview

©Katja Abbott

©Halden Krog

What drew you to working with wood?: I had the opportunity to stand at a lathe and hold an edge tool to a piece of spinning wood at a demonstration held by Cape Town's local woodturning association. I knew within a few seconds that I had found the path for me!
How would you define what you do?: I craft decorative wooden vessels and objects using a lathe. I aim for a contemporary African aesthetic made with a combination of wood and other materials, such as copper wire and brass plate.
What inspires your designs and the materials you use?: I strive to achieve simplicity of form to evoke a sense of stillness. The material itself, green wood, inspires the finished form of the vessel. Its drying process causes movement and warping, which influences the design. Traditional African wooden vessels and the wabi-sabi aesthetic in Asian ceramics and woodcraft also inspire me.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: The majority of my work is done using tools and techniques that are considered purely traditional. I sometimes use contemporary carving techniques to embellish my pieces. I am excited about innovative possibilities, combining traditional plant-fibre weaving with modern forms made on the lathe.

Paul Kristafor is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2014