My name is Alex Garcia and I am the Artist in Residence at DragonHollow Woodturning. My studio is located in Lone Jack, Missouri where I live with my wife Ellen, 3 dogs, 3 cats, a bird, a horse, a donkey and whatever else happens to wander onto my property. I started turning in 1999 after seeing a pen demo at a local lumber store and I have been addicted ever since. My first turnings were pens that were turned on a drill press. Once I could afford to buy a lathe, I was hooked!. I started out with a Jet 1014 Mini-lathe and now I own four different lathes in a variety of sizes (see The Atelier, for pictures of my babies).

At DragonHollow, we do mostly art pieces, but we also do architectural restoration for old homes that are being rehab'd. We have found that when someone is trying to put an old victorian home back together, it is difficult for them to go to the local Big Box Store and find a stair baluster or balcony rail post that comes close to what was done 100+ years ago. We are able to reproduce those patterns that were created back then. I use a Vega duplicator on my Delta 16" lathe when I have a large number of spindles to do, but small orders are often turned by hand.

Artist's Statement

I Love wood. Mother Nature has given us a gift that requires no embellishment or enhancement. I want my pieces to reveal that gift to the world. I try to keep the design of my pieces relatively simple with no carving or coloring to detract from the beauty of the wood itself. I also try to use pieces of wood that have character and interesting features. My goal with this site is to open the eyes of the viewer to a world of beauty and wonder that is hidden from normal sight. I feel blessed that I have been given the opportunity to share this wonder with everyone that wants to take a walk in the woods and see whats on the inside.