Spurtles to Oven Jacks at Studio 820

Richard Heines Jr. got his first Dremel jigsaw when he was only 8 years old, and throughout his career as a self-employed contractor he kept up his "hobby" of wood-turning to make small furniture and household items.

The bowls he specializes in at his Studio 820 unlock the "beauty and mystery hidden within a piece of wood," in his words, both in the domestic pieces he culls from nearby forests or friends and the imported wood he orders from sustainable and managed forests. Almost two dozen different kinds of wood, including the distinctively grained ambrosia rock maple and spalted rock maple (from Connecticut) go into Heines's creations: bread boards to oven jacks, Scottish spurtles (porridge-stirrers) to Swedish nøstepinde (yarn-winding sticks), honey dippers to candleholders (and more). Often he will glue two woods together before turning them on the lathe to create the rounded shape of a bowl, resulting in eye-catching patterns for attractive displays of fruit, salad, nuts or cheese (all of Heines's food-related objects are food-safe).

Available at Charlestown Gallery, Artists' Cooperative Gallery of Westerly, Artisans Boutique (in Wakefield) or online. Visit during the annual HopArts Studio Tour, Oct. 19 & 20, 10 am–4 pm. 820 Kings Factory Rd. Wood River Junction. 401.364.6884; Studio-820.com.