Joe Devinny

Joe Devinny

For 35 years, I was professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California.  During that time, I was pursuing woodturning as a hobby.  Since retirement, I have made woodturning a second career.  I joined the El Camino Woodturner’s Guild, and attended classes and demonstrations by master woodturners.

The mechanical aspect of woodturning comes easily to someone with engineering training – it requires an ability to conceive and design complex objects in three dimensions and familiarity with measurement and machinery.  At the same time, it clearly requires artistic creativity.  A bowl must be a pleasing sculptural composition that is effectively complemented by the figure of the wood – even as it requires tight joints and a smooth finish.

I make pieces using simple forms to emphasize the color and shape of wood – creating natural-edge bowls.  I make pieces using segmenting techniques, in which many small blocks of wood are combined to create geometric patterns.  Finally, I also use multi-axis turning to create complex shapes that are really small sculptures.

I am a member of the Artist’s Studio Gallery, and display my work in the Promenade mall location.