Photosynthesis, Moon of Exuberant Joy
Description
Keith Plumley moved to Tofino in Clayoquot Sound in 1990 from Ontario where he had already been painting, woodcarving and wood turning for 15 years. He arrived with his antique late originally used at a sawmill in the 1930’s.
Keith usually chose burls to work with. Burls are knotty growths that grow on the sides of trees. They are not used in the lumber industry so they are cut off the trees were they are cut down and left behind, usually in very inaccessible areas. Keith found burls eight feet across from trees that must have been several hundred tears old. Burls often contain swirling grains, sometimes ‘birds-eye’ markings and often ‘light rays’, a stretch mark that catches the light in a shifting, iridescent way.
Keith made bowls, platters, and art pieces of all shapes and sizes but he is most known for his very large pieces. Large feast platters and bowls of Keith’s are suitable for buffets at private businesses, galleries and homes. He usually worked with red and yellow cedar, sometimes maple, hemlock, spruce or pine.
Some pieces wee symmetrically turned on the lathe and some pieces have the bark and natural edges and shapes of the burl.
This interview with Keith Plumley was recorded his longtime studio, which was tucked away in the Live to Surf plaza for decades. This conversation took place only several weeks before his stroke, and the artist passed away earlier this year on October 17, 2022. He was 67 years old, Throughout his career, Keith Plumley encouraged, taught, and collaborated with other artists. He is very much missed by this community.
