About Dan J. Bailey

Dan J. Bailey has been involved with wood almost all his life. Growing up in Central America, the son of a Forester and Agriculturist, he became well acquainted with the exotic woods of the jungles of El Salvador and Honduras and could often be found in the woodshop at the experiment station learning the craft of the lathe. Later as a building contractor, he explored the more practical side of woods, building not only structures but furniture. A true artist, Dan has produced fine jewelry and metal sculptures, but retirement finds him refining his first love, turning burls and bark into gallery quality bowls. All of Dan's pieces are individually hand turned on a wood lathe, starting with a simple hunk of wood and transforming it into a beautiful piece of art. He prefers to let the wood decide the final shape and allows the natural edges to remain.

Dan lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his wife Nancy, and enjoys six grandsons. When not at the lathe, Dan can be found scouring the country for the right burls --- American Elm, Honey Locust, Silver maple and Box Elder from locally salvaged trees, Big Leaf Maple, Madrone, Redwood, and Myrtle from Oregon, Mesquite and Ironwood from Mexico --- no woodpile goes unnoticed.

Dan J. Bailey has trained under several of the best turners in the craft, including Mike Mahoney of Utah, Trent Bosch of Colorado, and John Jordan from Tennessee, as well as years of independent study. His work was chosen as outstanding at the Rocky Mountain Woodturning Symposium. He is currently represented by several galleries.

Visit Dan's website for Rough Out Bowls