Pagoda Box

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.