Luis Unützer from Thankirchen gives the mill-turning turnery a modern touch. His wooden creations are met with enthusiasm everywhere.
Dietramszell - When his peers go out to party in the evening, Luis Unützer prefers to stand in his small workshop on the wood lathe. In just a few hours, the 20-year-old Thankirchner transforms a chunky block of wood into a fragile bowl or an abstract art object. If the shape is right, the fine work comes: With a steady hand, he turns an even groove pattern into the wood, treats it with rust water or sump lime, grinds and polishes it and brushes it over and over again to emphasize the grain.
"I like simple geometric shapes," explains Unützer. Because its cylindrical vases and bowls have extremely thin walls, they warp - and sometimes crack. That is wanted, he says. The evenly bulbous bowl shape bores him. With his unusual creations, the 20-year-old has made a name for himself as a turner despite his young years.
Unützer recently won the art competition of the Diocesan Museum in Freising and the Munich vocational schools for the second time. His interpretation of the theme of "contemporary devotional images": four abstract figures made of ash wood that sway like standing men. They are meant to symbolize the dynamic balance within a family.
His uncle made the name Unützer known
The fashion world is also interested in the Thankirchner: The magazine “Harper's Bazaar” reported in the Christmas magazine about the aspiring artist from the Alpine foothills; An article about him will soon also appear in Vogue, he says. The fact that his uncle made the name Unützer known as a producer of high-priced women's shoes makes it easier for the wood artist to enter the designer scene.
The son of a landscape architect taught himself to turn. Four years ago, Unützer got his first lathe from his father for Christmas. “I've always enjoyed working with wood,” he says. He got a few tips from his former neighbor, a hobby turner. "But I'm glad I didn't attend any of these typical turning courses," says Unützer. So he experimented a lot, learned from mistakes and found his own style.
A large box full of broken containers testifies to unsuccessful attempts. "At least three out of ten bowls break," admits the 20-year-old. The wood he uses comes almost exclusively from the surrounding area; mostly it is old oak trees that have to be felled because of a building project or after storm damage. He also likes to use the chainsaw himself.
For Luis Unützer, turning is like yoga - pure relaxation
Turning is his passion. And "his yoga", as he says, his way to relax and concentrate on the essentials. He still didn't want to make it a profession. Unützer emphasizes that he is not interested in the “utility craft” - that is, turning chair legs or banisters. After completing secondary school, he applied to the municipal vocational college for wood sculpting in Munich. Even though he missed the deadline, he was accepted. He has been learning "seeing and developing forms" there for two years and is being promoted in his "individual art style". In summer he has to deliver his journeyman's piece. This should also become an ensemble of stylized turned figures. Then he wants to make his master as a wood sculptor. However, the next master class will not start until 2021. He wants to use the free year to earn money, and also want to do as much turning and hunting as possible, he says. In addition, an exhibition at the Bavarian Arts and Crafts Association in Munich and at the international furniture and furnishing fair IMM in Cologne are also on the schedule.
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The young man from Thankirchen hears that he is talented from all sides. He cannot complain about a lack of customer interest either. He sells his bowls and vases at Christmas markets or through his online shop. Nevertheless, the business-minded young turner doesn't rely on the fact that he can make a living from his art. After completing his master’s examination, he plans to study industrial design. His goal: to design beautiful cars. "I don't really care about cars," he admits with a smile. “But the shapes have to be right. As simple as possible. "