Matt Harber lives and works in suburban Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Matt has an obsession with drawing, painting, and burning celtic-style art, first as doodles, then with Gel pens (on the hands and faces of himself, his son, his nieces and nephews), then on the computer, then painted on walls, then on wood. Matt has always enjoyed fine wood art, especially carved, sculpted, and turned pieces. He has tried his hand at wood carving, wood burning (pyrography), and power carving - in addition to wood turning.

Matt purchased his first lathe in June of 2003 to begin learning the skill and art of wood turning on the lathe. Mostly, he has been making lots and lots of chips and sawdust. Some of the things Matt has made on the lathe include goblets, pens and pencils, bowls, vases, platters/plates, native american style flutes, magic wands, and much more. Many of the things he creates are custom requested or commissioned. He is delighted with the evolution of his work.

How the pieces are created
The pieces displayed and sold here are hand turned on the lathe. This means that a raw chunk of wood is mounted on the lathe and a shape is roughed out while the piece is spining using hand-held chisels. Sometimes, the roughed-out piece needs to dry. Then the piece is completed, carefully turned to its final form. After turning, the pieces are sanded and then wood finishes are applied. The finishes Matt uses include mineral oil, epoxy, acrylic, lacquer, wax (and beeswax), and polyurethane, plus combinations of these. Some finishes yield a warm satin look and others a brilliant shiny hard look. Cured finishes are food-safe.

Various designs are painted on the pieces after they are finished. The designs are usually celtic-based and can be hand painted (using acrylic paints), burned (pyrography), or both. Once the application of the design to the piece is completed, additional finish is applied to protect the work. All the finishes used are considered food-safe, meaning that food can be safely kept and eaten in/from the pieces, although some finishes are better than others for resisting liquids and heat.