Louis REGNIER : Wood is my friend !...

I have always been attracted by wood.  I started my apprenticeship at the cartwright of my village,  Soussey sur Brionne ,  when I was 15.
He was a gentle person , working entirely by hand four - wheeled waggons & ploughs . After two years, I then started an apprenticeship with a cartwright – blacksmith .
The period 1939 – 1945 was very difficult.  Back from Germany , I returned to my cartwright job. The boss wanted to take over his business    .. without really selling it to me …
After having runned it  alone for long moonths , I decided to start off on my own  on  july 1st 1947.

1948,  I  married a school teacher at Ladoix Serrigny . I  took from her the assurance & self confidence, which I did not have . She always gave me precious advice.

1952 1953 .. the massive arrival of rubber tyres into the market .. marked the end of our activity and .
I  estblished myself  in a  cabinet making & carpentry b usioness in Marcilly – Ogny & Saulieu
1976 –  the right time for retirement – we  moved in  Ladoix Serrigny and I got in 1977 a licence  for restauration  & copy of ancient  furniture. 
1983 .. I bought everything to stand still !

Long since,  I had in mind to do wood turning or pottery ....wood prevailed over the rest !
I then followed – in 1991 - a probation course of initiation to wood turning  in the south of France .
It was – literally speaking -  ‘’ love at first sight  ‘’.
May 1994 ,… I followed a five days probation course  at Champagny sous Uxelles at Gilbert ‘s school. The purpose was to improve my technique of hollowing ..
Gilbert is a very good professionalist & a well advised  pedagogue .. … and such a great heart !
During the decade 1960 , ‘ formica ‘ was he trendy  material &  I had produced several kitchens ...
So, I took  advantage of my experience ... namely for gluing together several wood varieties before turning them.
I never stop  from challenging myself  on inventing  something new and  for  complicating  existing models.
Since then, I  have turned hundreds & hundreds of pieces and  some colleagues incited me to do demonstrations – with Gilbert - about  ‘’ gluing & interlacings ‘’  at Arc & Senans and even more recently at Besançon .

My most happy  memories are  the joys and the delights that wood has given me all my life .. Wood has never deceived me  and will never ever  do.  Wood and Mankind  have both ‘’ character ‘’.. but  mankind does not meet up with  wood
Wood – contrary to Mankind – is born & remains noble .

Many thanks to Guy André for his valuable help concerning the photographs.