
1997
Key first remembers working with wood at the age of seven, when he spent his time whittling and carving. He worked as an industrial wood turner prior to becoming a full time wood artist in 1973. Key is credited with advancing the reputation of wood turning as an art form in Britain; he writes and lectures on the subject and founded The Woodturners Association of Great Britain in 1987. The Pagoda Box, a collection of mini-boxes vertically stacked, is an example of Key's most exquisite work (he also produces simpler household goods for everyday use). Key strives to create elegant and integrated forms. He writes, I am a great believer in the object as a whole; all elements should be in sympathetic harmony with one another, not a disjointed assemblage of different ones.