Bob Carls

For over 30 years Bob Carls created functional and decorative lathe-turned wood vessels using traditional and contemporary woodworking processes, both on and off the lathe.

In his later work he used lamination and segmenting to take advantage of the graphic qualities of the process and the organic quality of the wood.

Bob Carls brought to his work a lifetime of study in art forms that ranged from improvisational music to the visual arts, especially photography, sculpture and film.

Bob Carls was inspired by the environment and seasonal changes in the woodlands of north central Minnesota where he lived and worked. In winter he found inspiration in the stark contrast of the frozen landscape—snow and bare tree branches; in spring, it was the subtle reemergence of color; in summer the almost obscene abundance of growth; and in the autumn, it was the cacophony of color that brought him inspiration.

“My work focuses on function or implied function and draws from my personal experience and value system, striving for continuity, historical context and a high level of workmanship.” - Bob

Turned woods vessels by Bob Carls can be found in the permanent collection of the Minnesota State Historical Society, St. Paul, MN; as well as corporate and private collections worldwide.

SOURCE - https://ripplerivergallery.com/index.php/our-process/ (Sept, 2025)