'I aim, with my work, to extend the boundaries of traditional turning techniques and to, hopefully, alter the preconceived notions of what turned wood should be.' Steve Howlett.

Steve Howlett made this vessel by lathe-turning a solid piece of unseasoned holly until it was only two or three millimetres thick. Because the timber was unseasoned it continued to dry for several weeks after it was turned. Howlett explained that "uniform growth rings and straight grain will result in an even distortion, wild grain produces wild distortion. How the wood is aligned on the lathe initially will determine whether the distortion of form will be symmetrical or asymmetric." The final form recalls the shape of a flower as well as being a celebration of the possibilities of shaping wood.