Neil Joynt Fine Wood Turning

Neil Joynt is a self-taught wood artist from Tokoroa, New Zealand. His creative practice traces back

to his late teens when he worked with copper and brass to make jewellery. Today Neil works as a

wood turner. He is deeply inspired by the naturally occurring patterns of wood grain and revealing

the hidden beauty within a piece of timber.

Neil regularly enters wood turning competitions and has been the recipient of numerous prizes. It is

Neil’s particular approach of combining form and elaborate embellishment that gives his work its

unique aesthetic. He uses pyrography and inlays to carve intricate patterns into the surfaces of

turned forms. His patterns, which are intuitively designed, are often influenced by cultural patterns

from other places, particularly the South Pacific. He works with both turquoise and copper to make

inlays, materials that echo back to his early beginnings as a jeweller.

Neil has been invited to demonstrate his technique at national woodcraft conventions and he often

teaches at his local wood turning guild in the South Waikato. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and

encouraging others to find their own unique style.

Neil's work has been purchased by people locally, nationally and from abroad wanting to own and

appreciate a distinctive piece of New Zealand woodcraft. 

 Neil is a member of NAW, the New Zealand Association of Wood Turner, active member of the international group WOW, World of Wood Turner and a member of the American Association of Wood Turners.