Roger Mattiuz (Web Exclusive)

Medium/Technique: Woodturning

Location: Ingleside, Ontario 

Website: https://www.instagram.com/hooplecreekwoodcraft/

Basket weave illusion lidded vessel by Roger Mattiuz. Photo courtesy of the artist.

1. How would you describe your art and artistic practice? 

The art form is referred to as basket weave illusion and has been around for a few decades. I see it as a combination of craft and art. The craft part involves the skill to turn a vessel on a wood lathe and form intricate “beads” on the surface. This geometric array of beads acts as a canvas. The art part is the skill to design a pattern or picture that is painted with ink on that canvas. I consider myself a woodturner and wood artist and my pieces as “woodart."

Maple vase, 2024, turned, beaded and painted with India ink. Photo courtesy of the artist.

2. How did you first get into woodturning? 

I recall watching my father wood turn on an old Delta lathe when I was a child. I loved watching the wood shavings flying off the lathe and the smell of freshly turned wood. As a young adult I turned a few pieces on his lathe but then life got in the way and didn’t touch a lathe until, with the encouragement of my wife, I purchased a lathe in 2008. I was hooked!

I played around with it as a hobby, making simple bowls and kitchen utensils which I mostly gave away as gifts to family and friends. Over the years I did sell a few pieces through word of mouth and as I got better at it, I sold through craft markets and gift stores. In 2021, when I fully retired, I tried my hand at basket weave illusion technique as a challenge. My first piece, which was a plate, was a disaster. I almost threw it out but my wife wanted it, so it now sits in our living room as inspiration.

3. Where do you find inspiration for your work? 

I look for pattern inspiration everywhere. My designs are inspired by North American and African basketry and pottery as well as beading, weaving and knitting patterns, fashion patterns and even architecture. I’m also attracted to geometric patterns such as triangles, mosaics and wave patterns and try to incorporate them into my designs. I search for ways of interpreting those designs from other media onto the “beaded” wooden vessels and plates I’ve created. I even came across a dish towel one day that I pulled out of the drawer and sketched it. I haven’t used it yet, but I might one day.

I choose shape and forms for vessels (vases, urns, bowls) that are pleasing to my eye. If I have a form in mind, I sketch it out and imagine what the piece would look like painted.

Untitled basket weave illusion vase, 2023, maple with black walnut rim. This design includes 10,368 “beads" and an inverted chevron pattern. Photo courtesy of the artist.

4. Can you walk us through your creative process, from initial idea to sourcing materials to the physical act of making? 

The wood needs to be clear of major defects such as knots or dark grain which would interfere with the painted pattern. Hard maple is my wood of choice because of its light shade and its abundance in my area. Because of the “defect free” requirement, most of the maple I purchase is carefully selected. I purchase locally harvested wood and ensure it’s from sustainably harvested sources. Plates or flat pieces are turned from a single chunk of wood. 

For vessels, the process starts by creating a vessel with segmented rings. Shape and form are considered and designed on paper prior to starting on the lathe. Segmented pieces are cut and used to form rings, The rings are glued together and built up to form the rough shape of the vessel, then mounted on the lathe. The vessel is turned smooth inside and out. 

The basket illusion technique that creates the individually coloured squares or rectangles is created by cutting narrow beads around the circumference of the vessel from top to bottom. The valleys created between beads is burned to create black horizontal lines. The vessel is then marked into evenly spaced divisions by pencil using an index wheel. The vertical lines are blackened using a wood burning tool. The individual squares or rectangles this creates are then individually hand painted on the vessel using pigmented India ink pens. The pigmented India inks are archival quality colours that are waterproof, lightfast, acid-free, and pH-neutral. The final surface is protected with several coats of clear satin finish. All of my designs are drawn on graph paper prior to painting the piece.

Left to right: "Heart of Gold," 2024, basket weave illusion vessel, beaded, burned and painted with India ink pens. // Vase/urn, 2024, maple with black walnut finial. // Vase, 2023, basket weave illusion. Photos courtesy of the artist.

5. You incorporate salvaged wood in many of your pieces. How does this aspect of upcycling or repurposing materials shape your practice?

I turn pieces not embellished with basket weave designs mostly with salvaged wood. It is either diseased or damaged wood due to storm or lightning damage. Some I’ve harvested myself on our farm and some was donated to me by friends and acquaintances and I maintain an inventory of salvaged wood.

Currently I only turn basket weave vessels and plates which requires more stringent specifications and only rarely do I find a piece of salvaged wood that meets the requirements. The wood acts as a canvas and because the vessel is painted, the wood must be free of knots, strong grain pattern or severe discolouration, which would interfere with the painted pattern. I use mainly hard maple as it meets the criteria and is readily available in eastern Ontario. So, consequently, I purchase most of the wood for basket weave vessels and select the wood carefully. Sometimes I use salvaged pieces of maple on basket weave pieces when I feel the grain pattern will compliment the finished piece. I’ve included a photo of two such pieces (below). Any contrasting wood such as the dark trim around the neck of a vase, for example, is usually from salvaged wood.

Left to right: Basket weave illusion wide rimmed bowl, 2024, spalted maple // Red maple basket illusion plate, 2024. Photos courtesy of the artist.

6. Some of your pieces can be considered Trompe-l'œil – they give the illusion of being basket-woven. Can you share more about this technique? How do you achieve such intricate details? 

As I mentioned earlier, in the woodturning world it’s referred to as “basket weave Illusion” woodturning. It’s a woodturning art form that has been around for 35 or more years. When the vase or plate is turned on the lathe to a smooth surface and while the piece is spinning, concentric rings are formed using chisel called a “beading tool.” Then with the lathe stopped, radial lines are drawn in pencil. In the case of a plate or bowl, the lines are repeatedly drawn from the centre to the rim in equal increments. For a vase the lines are drawn from the top to the bottom. The pencil lines are burned with a wood-burning tool. This creates small beads which are then painted with India ink pens to create the design.

"Cascade," basket weave illusion vase, 2025. Image courtesy of Roger Mattiuz.

7. Tell us about a favourite piece or collection you’ve created and why it’s so memorable.

Ironically, the last piece I created is my favourite. I’ve named it “Cascade" (left). I had an idea of creating a vase covered by feathers. I laid the design out on paper and had some difficulty deciding on the colours of India ink I would use. In the end I used browns and bright yellows on the piece and blended the colours rather that painting the individual “beads" a specific colour which I usually do. I like the effect of blending and may try it again.

8. What have you encountered in your career so far that readers (or other artists) might find surprising or unexpected? 

Back when I was first starting out, I took a three hour course from a local woodturner. He showed me the proper way of hollowing out a salad bowl. Other than that single one-on-one instruction, I’m a self-taught woodturner and basket weave illusionist. I’ve taught myself using magazine articles, on-line videos and demonstrations. It’s a long learning curve doing it this way, and I’ve spent countless hours refining my skills.

When I tell people that, they are surprised and amazed. I’m a little bit introverted so, for me it is a natural way of learning, but in retrospect I could have shortened my learning curve by taking formal courses. Maybe I will some day if I find the right instructor.

9. In what ways do you hope your own practice continues to evolve?

There are basket weave illusion turners that I consider masters who produce exceptional quality and detail. My first goal is to continue to improve my technique and learn new ones to take on more challenging patterns. I continually strive to create art pieces that are as good as the masters.

So far I’ve exhibited and sold my pieces regionally in eastern Ontario. I would like to expand that to other galleries and venues, perhaps nationally to expand my “footprint." I’ve also given some thought to giving demonstrations and perhaps even workshops. And lastly, I’d like to make some time to donate some pieces as fundraisers to my favourite charities.

Basket weave illusion plate, 2023. Photo courtesy of the artist.

10. Pay it forward -- tell us about something or someone our readers should know about.

I’d like to give a shout out to Cline House Gallery in Cornwall, Ontario and General Fine Craft in Almonte, Ontario. Both Emily McLeod at Cline House and Richard Skrobecky at General Fine Craft have encouraged me and supported my work. Cline House is a wonderful art gallery that features exhibits with regional artists and holds regular art workshops. General Fine Craft is a commercial gallery exhibiting skilled and innovative artists and craftspeople from Ontario and western Quebec. Anyone visiting the eastern Ontario area is encouraged to visit these venues to browse and shop for incredible art.