Visit Bowl Art Gallery and Turning Studio on Kawau Island

Gavin has his home, turning studio, and bowl art gallery on Kawau Island. Their house and gallery, called Tŷ Pren (“Wood House” in Welsh) is just that: made of wood – a combination of hardwoods, macrocarpa and plywood. Everywhere you look is wood with wooden floors, wooden ceilings, beautiful wooden tables, chairs and a massive Waterford Stanley wood-burning stove forming a centrepiece of the house. …and of course, then there are the wooden bowls.

How long does it take to make a wooden bowl?

Working with green wood, you’re working against the clock. As as soon as you start removing wood the piece will start drying out and warping. So, typically you do all the shaping of a bowl in a single day. With that said, the process of collecting the wood from around the island, shaping, hand carving and sanding of a bowl. Then oiling, drying and engraving means the whole process can take up to a month from start to finish.

Standing on the deck, you can really appreciate the 180-degree water views and see how the house is encircled with fruit trees which merge right into the forest that dominates the landscape. It is a fantastic place to appreciate not just where these bowls are made but also some of the inspiration behind them. There is always a good selection of bowls to admire and purchase. In addition to the bowls that are for sale, there are also some spectacular bowls that Gavin and his wife hold in their personal collection along with a hefty number being used daily in their house and kitchen. Which helps you appreciate that a lot of these bowls are not just there to look good.

  • Monday – 9:00 to 17:00
  • Tuesday – 9:00 to 17:00
  • Wednesday – 9:00 to 17:00
  • Thursday – 9:00 to 17:00
  • Friday – 9:00 to 17:00
  • Saturday – 9:00 to 17:00
  • Sunday – 10:00 to 17:00

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