| Hello. And thank you for taking the time to read this page and find out more about “Fallen Tree Art”. I am honored that you are curious enough to go this extra length. My name is Chris Hansen and I live in beautiful Santa Ynez, California. I turn bowls (you can see pictures of some of them on my Gallery pages) from trees that grow here in the valley or the Santa Barbara area, on the Powermatic lathe in my shop. The “philosophy” of Fallen Tree Art, and hence it’s name, is that I only turn pieces from trees that have already been cut down. I do not go out and select trees for cutting just so I can have some wood to work on. For instance, some of these pieces are from a tree in a backyard of a home in Buellton, CA, that had grown to 30+ feet and the owner was worried about it falling on his house and hired a local tree company to cut it down. Some are from a walnut farmer in Lompoc, CA, who cut down the 40+ year old trees that were dieing and had become non-producers in their old age. The “downside” of this is that I can’t take orders or try to make lots of the same bowl. The “upside” is that you know you are getting a true “one of a kind” piece to display and/or use in your home. Speaking of using them, all of the finishes that I apply to these pieces are “food-safe”. You can use them for salads (no cut tomatoes please!), popcorn, fruit or other types of food without fear of ingesting something harmful. While I would not suggest hot soup be used, you can clean these easily with warm water, a mild liquid soap and a quick drying with a soft cloth. Those bowls, however, that have a natural edge (bark still on), are best reserved for visual admiring only as the bark has not been sealed (so it will absorb liquids), and is easily damaged. I hope you find a piece that calls out to you as much as they have “spoken” to me! |
| Nature’s Art, From My Hands to Your Home |