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Woodturning Magazine, Australia - September 1997
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Terry Martin visits joking turner Alain Mailland at his home in the South of France
to discover the private man behind the public clown.
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Alain Mailland is a comedian.
At gatherings of French woodturners you will find him making people laugh by lampooning what he sees.
No-one takes offense, because he is a gentle and generous person.
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His clowning hides a passionate commitment to woodturning.
Wanting to know more about the man behind the laughs, I visited him at his home near Uzes, in southern France. To get there, I drove along lanes which wind uphill through ancient groves of olive trees, now run wild. Through a stone fence and down a rocky path, I found Alain's house. New, yet looking old, it echoes the stone and wood of this hilly region.
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"I did all this myself," Alain told me, over a glass of wine with bread and olives.
"I bought a ruin and built a home." Having been a carpenter, mason and roofer, he had the skills for such a job. "I chose to build here because I love the south," he added. "I grew up in Paris, but it's always grey in the north, so when I was 20 I came here. The climate is wonderful. They have character and that is important for me."
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Later, while Alain clattered around the kitchen preparing a meal for his wife and children, he explained why he was drawn to woodturning.
"I became a turner because I love wood and because I don't have to plan : I just do it. Turning is a quick way to get into wood.
Carving is slow, but if I turn a piece first I can remove a lot of wood. Then I can carve it if I want.
In France, the life of a woodturner is good, but it's not easy financially.
I have to lead a simple life, but I choose it because I can do what I like."
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Alain working
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Pieces from Alain available at Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, USA > www.delmano.com
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