Vern Oremus - Fine Wood Turning

Vern Oremus brings nearly 40 years of experience to his woodworking art. He was classically trained in this area and has taught woodworking and design at the public school, community college and university levels. He has conducted workshops and provided individual instruction in a wide variety of related areas over the years including small boatbuilding, furniture design and construction, woodturning and marquetry.

"I have a passion for working with wood. I get great enjoyment out of bringing the beauty of each piece of wood to the forefront through the creative design process. It's a joy to take what some would consider just a good piece of firewood and open up the beauty within. Nothing quite allows that opportunity in the way woodturning does. When I begin to turn of piece of wood I never really know what the form will be or what the final product will look like. Each piece is unique and I seek to bring out, through a love of the art, the best of both my skills and the unique beauty of the medium."

Vern works almost exclusively with wood provided by the Siuslaw River in the form of drift logs and material recovered from ocean beaches. Local species such as Big Leaf Maple, Myrtle, Oak, Poplar and Willow provide a palette of unlimited possibilities, each unique in its own way. He and his wife, Dee, have lived in Florence for six years. Both grew up in the Eugene area but have traveled extensively, retiring to Florence after 25 years in Alaska. They live on the river here in Florence where Vern can watch for "bowl material" to float by.