Anatoly Tsiris was born in to a family of schoolteachers in the small Ukranian town of Kmelnitsky. Carrying on the family tradition, he graduated from college with a teaching degree in math and science. However, deciding he was more of a craftsman than a scholar was, he took a job at Machine Building Factory in Lugansk, Ukraine where he worked on a variety of metal- cutting machinery.
The first job Anatoly was offered when he arrived in the USA was as a carpenter. He took the job temporarily but something unexpected happened: Anatoly found himself in love with woodwork. For a few years he worked as a carpenter and cabinetmaker in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Gradually he came to the idea of making furniture. By that time Anatoly was living in Charlotte, NC. In his basement shop he started to make home furniture of his own design. Among other equipment, Anatoly got a small lathe for turning furniture legs. Surprisingly, this little thing turned his life in a new direction. Very soon it was replaced by a custom-made 2600 pound Nichols lathe and woodturning became Anatolyís number one occupation.
Thanks to his previous metalworking experience the technical side rarely puts any limits on Anatolyís imagination. He prefers to work on a large scale and is attracted to unusual pieces of wood, seeing the beauty in the irregularities. What someone else would probably consider a defect, for Anatoly is the unique personality of the piece-of-art-to-be, and it is the artistís job to help it develop.
In just a few years Anatoly became a recognizable figure in Charlotteís artistic crowd. He is an active member of the North Carolina Woodturning Association and American Woodturning Association and an exhibiting artist. His artwork is welcomed in galleries, loved by viewers and in demand by corporate and private collectors.
Exhibitions
2003
ï The New Collection, Trinity Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2002
ï Maker Versus Material, 12th Annual Art Exhibition, Trizec Properties, Charlotte, NC
ï One Artist Show, Pomegranate Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2001
ï Group Exhibition, Grovewood Gallery, Asheville, NC
ï Group Exhibition, North Carolina Woodturning Symposium, Statesville, NC
ï One Artist Show, Pomegranate Gallery, Charlotte, NC
ï Group Exhibition, Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, NC
ï Two Artist Show, Art Gallery at CPCC, Charlotte, NC
2000
ï Group Exhibition, Center of the Earth Gallery, Charlotte, NC
ï Group Exhibition, Instant Gallery, American Woodturning Association Symposium
ï One Artist Show, Pomegranate Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Collections
BF Goodrich, Charlotte, NC
Mrs. Dorothy Fuqua, Atlanta, GA
The Guests, Atlanta, GA
Larry and Margo Gold, Atlanta, GA
Jerdan Enterprises, Reno, NV
Rowe Construction, Marietta, GA
SteelFab, Charlotte, NC
Knox Wagner, Atlanta, GA
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