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Patrick Rapp

Patrick Rapp Woodturner
Contact
German, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+41 788557625
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Finding the art in wood

  • • Patrick specialises in hand turning thin-walled objects in wood
  • • His bowls can measure up to 90cms diameter
  • • He mainly uses wood from his surroundings

In his freehand turned objects, Patrick Rapp seeks to bring out the beauty of very piece through simple design. He believes that very often what are normally viewed as the wood’s defects actually make an object a work of art. “They tell a story that we do not know but are allowed to see,” he explains. “It is up to me to recognise the hidden work of art and make it visible. It is interesting to give objects turned from fresh wood their final shape by warping them in the drying process. This is how wood becomes a co-designer of my objects.” His work includes bowls, hollow vessels, spheres, pens and pepper mills, which he either leaves in the natural colour of the wood or colours brightly, highlighting the wood grain and texture.

Read the full interview

Works

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Gefäss 'klein aber fein'

This vessel is part of a series experimenting with yew tree wood. The inspiration for this work came while turning the wood on the lathe, respecting its natural colours, lines and cracks. Patrick sources his wood locally, sometimes recycling ancient wood from his surroundings.

Diameter 14.5 cm
Height 105 mm

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Shale Rot

This bowl was turned on the lathe while the wood, sourced from a friend’s garden, was still wet. Its final form only came a few weeks after the shaping when the maple dried completely, transforming the piece into a co-creation between Patrick and the wood. It has been finished with several layers of red stain and high gloss lacquer.

Diameter 45 cm

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Schlosseiche

The wood used for this vessel comes from a majestic oak that had to be felled after being struck by lightning. Patrick turned it on the lathe, carefully maintaining the most fragile parts – the cracks and its particularities – during the extensive process. The thinness of the final form presented a strong technical challenge.

Diameter 52 cm

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Vase mit Basler Wurzeln

The wood used for this vase comes from an old maple tree that was on Kasernenplatz in Basel. Patrick passed in front of it countless times in his youth, not knowing that so many objects would emerge from it. The vase was turned on a lathe and finished with several layers of blue stain and high gloss lacquer.

Height 68 cm

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Gefäss

A visitor at a trade fair in Austria asked Patrick if he could make vessels out of old wood from her garden. The cherry tree used for the three bowls that emerged from this story bore all the marks of the passage of time. Patrick turned the wood on the lathe, carefully respecting its natural colours, lines and cracks.

Diameter 23 cm

Enjoy an experience with Patrick Rapp

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