Turning the Everyday into Art: A Conversation with Local Woodturner Tink Veldhuis.

Tucked away in a quiet Herefordshire workshop, Tinka Veldhuis carves out a life led by rhythm, ritual, and deep respect for natural materials. A self-taught woodturner with an eye for form and a reverence for process, her work bridges the functional and the sculptural — objects to be used, loved, and passed down. At Hergest Lee, we’re lucky to have two of her hand-turned pepper mills resting in the lean-to — each one a joy to hold, grounding even the simplest meal in something elemental. In this journal entry, we explore her practice, her philosophy, and what it means to make with care and intention below.

1. From Counterterrorism to Craftsmanship: Can you share your journey from your early days in the Netherlands to becoming a woodturner in the Welsh Borders?

When I was a child, I didn’t know a single thing about wood or trees. I grew up in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam, and although we were lucky to have a park behind our house, I didn’t grow up with a sense of nature. In my world there were only two types of trees: Christmas trees (anything coniferous) and Oak trees (any other tree). 

After my university degree in Sociology I somehow ended up writing a PhD on terrorism prisoners. 9/11 Was still fresh in governments’ minds and terrorism prisoners were generally locked away in maximum security prisons, often for a long time. This is where my work was: I travelled to study how countries could sensibly deal with extremists in prison, and also how they could help these inmates re-integrate into society. 

When I met my husband PK, who is British, I came to the UK and left my academic career behind. Somehow it did not seem to make much sense to chase such a hasty, pressure-cooker type of life when you live on a narrowboat in the Brecon Beacons. I remember spending two weeks in Kenya giving training to prison officers, and coming back to the peace and quiet of the boat thinking…. ‘Do I really still want this?’. I had gotten used to a slower life outdoors and didn’t want to leave the hills anymore.

1. Finding Home in the Welsh Borders: What drew you to this particular region?

After a few years on the narrowboat, we were quite keen to find a ‘proper’ house. By then we’d had our first son and trust me, looking after a young child when you are surrounded by water is not conducive to slow heartbeats and peace of mind. We always wanted to find a tired cottage in the hills, with few people around, that we could do up. It took us six years, but we found it in the end.

We ended up in the former kennels of Eywood Estate behind Titley; the hounds were kept here for the hunt. The house had not been permanently lived in for nearly seventy years when we arrived, and it was run down and overgrown. It definitely fit the bill for a project.

PK has turned the kennels into a workshop, and this is where I now have my lathe. We left all the original features in place: my lathe is right next to the coppers that we believe were once used to do the laundry for the estate. 

Woodturning & Craftsmanship

1. Discovering the Lathe: How did your interest in woodturning begin?

On the boat I started whittling as a hobby. Once day I was hollowing out a bowl by hand. I think it was a piece of Apple and the wood was rock hard, I didn’t get anywhere with it for days. At some point PK said, “You know you can do that much faster with a lathe, don’t you?”. I didn’t know what a lathe was, so I found a local woodturner and went to have a look.  

It tuned out that you can make all sorts of wonderful things on a lathe. Bowls, plates, peppermills, vases – all items that can be used in daily life and look good too. I was hooked straight away. I bought a small lathe and some tools and off I went. I never finished carving that Apple bowl.

1. The Art of Creation: What aspects of woodturning bring you the most joy?

Woodturning is a very grounding experience. You have a piece of wood that is rotating at crazy speed, right in front of you, and then you go and stick a chisel into it. It is not without risk, so you have to make sure your head is with it. I have made silly mistakes that have sent a block of wood flying right past my head, just because my mind had wandered off for a second. For me, it is a good way to stay in the moment.

The sound of the chisel on the wood can be almost meditative. A perfect cut makes a certain noise that is just so lovely to hear, and there is something very settling about feeling how a super-sharp tool can leave a very fine, smooth finish on the wood. 

As I became more confident in my woodturning skills, I got more and more enjoyment from challenging myself. I really enjoy projects that are either technically demanding or complicated by design – I have made some puzzle boxes recently that are real brain-crackers, get it wrong by a few millimetres and the whole thing doesn’t work. I love such precision projects nowadays.

1. A Day in the Workshop: Could you describe your daily routine?

I like to start early: I am often in the workshop at 6am. Ideally, the night before I would have tidied up the days’ mess and prepared a new project, but too often I start the day by sweeping the floor and wandering around thinking where to start.

Rather than spend the whole day on one project, I try to divide my days into a mix of activities. I might spend the day sawing wood in the morning, preparing blanks in the afternoon, and finishing with some lathe work. For example, over a few days I might prepare a bunch of bowls, and then I spend one morning finishing the bottoms for all of them (you’d be surprised how much work goes into the bottom of a bowl!).

A lot of my time is spent ‘rough-turning’ blanks: I turn a piece of wood into a thick, heavyset bowl that then gets put aside for 9-12 months. This helps to speed up the drying process. I make sure I have a decent supply of bowls drying in the shed.

PK and I always have lunch together, he works at home and is usually busy working on some part of the house. Even if it is thirty minutes, we like taking the time to catch up. PK works with wood himself and has a good eye for design, so I often grab the opportunity to ask him for his views on a project. 

Creative Process & Materials

1. Inspiration Behind the Designs: How do you conceive the shapes and forms of your pieces?

Generally, I go by ‘less is more’. I like simplistic, elegant designs – my aim is usually to make something that is functional and can withstand daily use, while being aesthetically pleasing. Most of my work has simple lines, without too much adornment. The wood often does the job of adding the embellishment: many of the UK’s native woods can have spectacular grains. A platter made out of a feathered piece of Ash or a slice of English Walnut often does not need an elaborate design to catch the eye. Often, the challenge is in shaping the wood in such a way that the beauty of the wood is brought out.

I rarely draw a design out but in honesty, this is mostly because I am a very poor sketch. With the best will in the world, I rarely succeed in putting what I have in mind on paper, so when it comes to visualizing forms or ratios I have to rely on the picture in my head. Also, I think for most woodturners design is often led by the wood: you may set out to turn a large salad bowl, but if you come across a hidden knot in the wood you may have to take so much wood off that you end up with a shallow platter. Which is also fine. 

1. The Allure of Local Timber: Do you have a favorite type of wood to work with?

Most of my wood comes from local farms and woodlands. I sometimes get given wood by people who know I am a woodturner, and I have managed to get my hands on some spectacular wood this way. I look working with wood that has a story to tell, like trees that have been part of a community for ages.

A few years ago I was walking at the Rec in Kington, while a tree surgeon was cutting up a Sycamore tree that stood along the path. That tree must have been there several generations ago. I managed to get hold of some chunks of wood, including some of the burrs (the knobbly bits on the tree), which had spectacular grain. I turned some bowls that I gave away to local friends. Such trees have been part of a community for ages, it is a real pleasure to be able to give them a new life.  

Lifestyle & Future Plans

1. Embracing the Local Culture: What are your favorite activities in the Welsh Borders?

We live in such a beautiful area, there is so much relatively unspoiled nature around. I walk and run a lot; I try to go out for a good few miles every day. The scenery never grows old, you can do the same walk day in day out and still see different things every day. Hergest Ridge in Spring is like a completely different world than Hergest Ridge in mid-winter. Both have their appeals. 

I am also surprised at the amount of local art-related initiatives around here. This area is full of artists! I participated in Marches Makers and H-Art last year, and this year I have decided to open my own studio as a venue for H-Art. It will be an opportunity to invite the locals up to our house and get to know some of our neighbours a bit better. We just have to tidy up the garden before then!

1. Looking Ahead: Are there new projects or designs on the horizon?

I am still trying to find my niche, the thing that really makes my work unique and recognisable. Last year I made a lot of peppermills, mostly because they turned out to be quite popular. And there are so many other things I’d like to explore. I have always liked the idea of working together with other craftspeople, like metalworkers or painters, to come up with some collaborative projects. But frankly, I have got so much to explore within woodturning, I can fill years to come with learning new skills and challenging my abilities. 

You can find Tink's website here : www.tinkwoodsmith.co.uk

Instagram @tinkwoodsmith.co.uk