Centuries old, the olive wood used for this large amphora bears all the marks of the passage of time. Santiago rescued it from being thrown away or burned and turned it by hand, carefully maintaining the most fragile parts during the extensive process.
Height 52 cm
Diameter 40 cm
© Santiago Valverde
© Antonio Ruiz
© Antonio Ruiz
© Antonio Ruiz
© Antonio Ruiz
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Santiago Valverde López
- Woodturner
- Santa Eufemia, Spain
- Master Artisan
- Recommended by Contemporánea de Artes y Oficios
Contact
Spanish
Hours:
By appointment only
By appointment only
Phone:
+34 661423077
+34 661423077
© Santiago Valverde
The beauty of decay
- • Santiago turns the enormous trunks of rotted olive trees
- • He likes to make large works, unusual for turned wood
- • He works with the natural imperfections of Andalusian olive wood
Santiago started his professional life by creating an industrial refrigeration company. There he met a master woodworker whose workshop was next to his and would prove to be an inspiration for Santiago. “Woodworking started as a hobby,” he says. “I had a friend who worked wood and had a lathe. I bought it from him and started doing small things.” In 2000, he left his company and opened his own workshop. His works are made from different types of wood, many of them native to his region of Spain, especially olive wood, which to Santiago evokes the area and its customs. “I started to make these large pieces on the lathe in 2009 and thought that it could be interesting as there was no one else making this type of work,” he says.
Read the full interviewWorks
Photo: © Santiago Valverde
Carambuco
Photo: © Santiago Valverde
Ánfora de Olivo
With this amphora, Santiago wanted to demonstrate how a woodturner can make the best of the material, transforming a dead tree trunk into a thing of light and beauty. Inspiration for each of his works comes while Santiago turns the wood on the lathe, respecting its natural colours, lines and cracks. The deteriorated aspect of this old wood presented a strong technical challenge and Santiago had to work carefully to keep it intact.
Height 31 cm
Diameter 23 cm
Photo: © Santiago Valverde
Ánfora en llamas
This 'amphora in flames' celebrates the rescue of a century old olive trunk which was destined to be burned. Santiago sources his wood locally, recycling the ancient olive trees that have been replaced by new ones. He finds inspiration for each piece during the turning process, exploring the intriguing characteristics of trunks that are never the same from one tree to another.
Height 30 cm
Diameter 29 cm
Photo: © Santiago Valverde
El Renacimiento
The wood used for this amphora came from a tree that was around 500 years old. The title of the piece, Renaissance, pays tribute to this material, which was intended to be used as firewood. The age and deteriorated state of the wood made it extremely fragile to work with, so Santiago had to proceed very carefully on the lathe in order to keep it intact. He finds inspiration for the final form of his pieces while turning the wood and discovering its hidden characteristics.
Height 53 cm
Diameter 45 cm
Photo: © Santiago Valverde
Calabaza
The title for this piece reflects its transformation from an antique piece of olive wood into a pumpkin shape. The age and deteriorated state of the wood made it extremely fragile to work with, and Santiago had to proceed very carefully on the lathe in order to keep it intact. He always finds inspiration for the final form of a piece while turning the wood and discovering its hidden characteristics.
Height 26 cm
Diameter 28 cm
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