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Arts & Entertainment

Reeves Turns Over New Leaf

Wayne Reeves Jr. left the print industry to pursue his passion for wood turning, where he finds the ultimate satisfaction.

What Wayne Reeves Jr. has in common with others in his industry is probably less than you might think. Reeves is a self-styled wood turner born and raised in Marietta; but that isn’t what makes him unique.

After the downturn in the economy, Reeves took an interest he had in wood work and went for broke starting a new business venture without any prior experience.

Reeves grew up on Chicopee Drive—a historic neighborhood built in the early 1900’s, only blocks from Marietta’s square. Reeves recalls his mother's efforts to expose he and his two younger brothers to nature trails, parks and Kennesaw Mountain in his youth.

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“I became very aware of the beauty in the world around me because of her [his mother],” Reeves says affectionately.

Additionally, his mother would point out details in the nature they explored such as studying bugs, leaves and more. Because of his heightened awareness Reeves says he has an ability to see the raw beauty existing within the wood he uses.

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Unlike many wood turners who’ve had years of exposure to the industry, Reeves' path was opposite the norm. Reeves went to work for his father’s printing business, the now defunct Target Printing, where he spent 23 years. Target withstood many changes throughout Reeves’ time there; however, the onset of two simultaneous occurrences prevented its rebound: the decay of print with the internet and loss of business orders from the recession. They were forced to close their doors leaving Reeves, a family man with three sons, to determine his next course of action.

“It’s hard, really hard; you don’t know what to do when a business closes on you,” Reeves explains.

Reeves admits his entrée into the woodworking arena was by necessity, a means of feeding his family. He had amassed a number of tools over the years, which enabled his transition to be more palatable for both he and his loving wife.

He says his family, mostly consisting of white collar professionals, was “surprised” by his choice of employment but supportive nonetheless. Reeves commends his father for being his role model with tireless work ethic, having raised three boys, working at Lockheed Martin and owning the print shop all at the same time.

Reeves caught a lucky break with his endeavor right away as a long time customer of the print shop, Shae Avery of Avery Gallery, was the first to display his work. Reeves says Avery was forthcoming with critiques. Reeves found much of his advice beneficial in helping to create sellable artistic wood products.

“Wood already has character and beauty in it; you just have to mold it,” Reeves says. “This type of wood working (turning) allows a person to be creative.”

Reeves expresses his gratitude for Avery’s faith in his work as they maintain a working relationship to this day. His work is currently carried at Avery Gallery near the Marietta Square and the Raiford Gallery in Roswell.

Wayne Reeve Jr. is also available for commissioned works online at: www.woodtransformed.com or wayne@woodtransformed.com.

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