Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette Edric Florence in the studio in his Bethel Park home. Click photo for larger image.

Don't tell Edric Florence that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. He performs the woodworking equivalent of that feat several times a month.

Florence, 57, of Bethel Park, uses what he calls "ugly wood"-- knotty, sometimes decayed hunks of birch, cherry, boxwood, walnut and beech, among others -- and turns it into elegant bowls, vases and other vessels by a process called woodturning. In the early '90s Florence abandoned a career as an electrical engineer who designed steel mills and turned a "very expensive hobby" into a job he loves.

"Since there wasn't that much work going on in the steel industry, I just stepped back to play in a sawdust pile," he said.

Although he still will consider a lucrative consulting project now and then, Florence spends most of his time in his garage studio, mounting his ugly wood onto his lathe and shaping it into unique creations. His yard and both sides of his driveway are littered with tree stumps, branches, cuttings and even some roots. Parts of the garage are ankle deep in wood shavings and the artist's creations sit in various stages of completion on shelves.

Many of Florence's pieces are now residing at le Poire art gallery in Crafton, where he is co-exhibiting with an artist who creates prints of forest scenes. The exhibit, From the Forest and the Trees, opened Friday and will continue through Nov. 13.

Florence said woodturning is a multistep process that requires a lot of patience. After the initial shaping, some wood has to sit for a while to be sure it has dried and the wood is finished "moving."

The wood turner then finishes the piece to protect it from damage by temperature and humidity.

But if you are looking for a painted wooden bowl, you will have to look elsewhere.

"Some 99 percent of my pieces are finished with tung oils and mineral oils and not painted," Florence said. "It prevents moisture from getting in."

Florence creates an average of four or five "good, artistic" pieces per month. He also makes production pieces, smaller works such as bottle stoppers, nut bowls and Christmas tree ornaments which can be churned out more quickly.

Still, each of those pieces is handmade and different.

The artist advertises his wares mainly through exhibits and his Web site, which has brought him customers from places as far away as Hong Kong and Turkey.

But those exotic locales are only the destination points for these unique pieces. Their origins are much closer to home.

"Most of my wood comes from Western Pennsylvania," Florence said, adding that the rest is from forests in Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia.

But the wood turner stressed that his work was environmentally friendly because all raw materials are taken from the ground. He never cuts into a tree to take the wood he wants.

From the Forest and the Trees will be shown until Nov. 13 at le Poire at 11 E. Crafton Ave. in Crafton.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday., 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Call 412-921-0912.

The Edric Florence Web site is www.edricflorence.com.