Chris has been a self-taught woodworker since the mid '80's, when a need for simple furniture, a lack of money and some back issues of Fine Woodworking led him into the craft. He acquired his first lathe in 1988, and with the help of Richard Raffan’s Turning Wood and much trial and error, was soon turning full time. A large part of his current work consists of laminated salad bowls, in various woods and sizes. Drawing on his woodworking skills, Chris assembles bowl blanks using rough-sawn, one- inch lumber. These are then turned and finished. The result is a simple, functional yet elegant design that lends itself to small production runs. Chris enjoys the challenge of making quality pieces efficiently, with as little waste of time and materials as possible. This production work is balanced with more individual turnings, using local wood, often from discarded trees. "Here I play with defects and irregular grain patterns, perhaps adding a rim in a contrasting exotic wood. I like to texture these pieces, often with a small, hand-held rotary tool. I find this softens the hard, polished, turned surfaces. These pieces are meant to be touched. I look for simplicity and directness, a quiet display of details where no one aspect overpowers another. It's really a very tactile and sensual approach." Chris is a member of the Ontario Craft Council, the Conseil des métiers d'arts du Quebec and a founding member of Galerie Farfelu in Montreal. He has won various awards, at the Ottawa Wood Show woodturning competition (1995,1996,1997), "Turning on Furnishings" show, Toronto and Kingston (June 2000), and at the Durham Wood Show Competition, Durham, Ontario (2001, 2003). He has received an Honourable Mention for Best Contemporary Craft, and the Rick Thompson Memorial Award, at the One of a Kind Show, Toronto. In 2002 he was selected for the Spring One of a Kind Show, Toronto advertising campaign and his work appeared as half-page ads in the Toronto Star and on the cover of the show guide. Chris currently teaches cabinetmaking at Rosemount Technology Centre, Montreal. You can find his work at Galerie Farfelu (www.farfelugallery.com) Montreal, at the Guild Shop (www.craft.on.ca) Toronto, and at Kiss the Cook, London, Ontario. Recently he has been giving seminars and turning demonstrations (West Island Woodturners www.wiw.woodturner.ca, au Tour a Bois www.autourabois.com) and hopes to set up private instruction (individual and group), in the near future. He has recently completed his first instructional video, Laminated Bowls. Chris also does custom turnings such as bedposts and table legs, any size or design. You can reach him at: By appointment only Chris Oosenbrug 9 Duranceau Chateauguay, Qc. J6J 2S4 450-698-2369 chris@chrisoosenbrug.com www.chrisoosenbrug.com When he’s not turning bowls, building cabinets or teaching, he spends his time with his family and plans to build a home and shop on sixteen acres of bush and pasture in Eastern Ontario.