Wooden Pottery Sculpture
Davoud Khosravi began making small pots from wood as a boy in his native Iran, "just because I liked to work with wood," he says. The compulsion seized him again after he immigrated to Canada in 1990, and two years ago he invested in shop space in Mississauga, Ontario. With the help of his wife, brother and a close friend, Davoud makes intricately laminated pots constructed of native Canadian woods such as cherry, walnut, oak, ash, poplar and maple, and exotics such as padauk. Some are as tall as seven feet. The many small pieces in each pot are cut and aligned in stunning medleys of grain and color, shaped and polished on a large lathe, then varnished to a high gleam. The sensual shapes, says Davoud, “are purely from my imagination. There is traditional influence from my home, yes, but this is Canadian art. Being in Canada has allowed me to do this work."
Ten Canadian galleries and four in the United States now sell the wares of Wooden Pottery, Davoud's company. Demand is growing. "And the possibilities," he says, "are almost limitless."