Michael Burrell grew up in the Atlanta area and has spent his career in the Southeast. He went to college at Georgia State University with a degree in elementary education and then followed that with his graduate degrees at The Citadel in educational administration. Working his entire career in teaching and being a school principal left him little time to pursue his artistic side.

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However, on a trip to the mountains of North Georgia he was visiting John C Campbell Folk School and witnessed an elderly gentleman turning a perfume pen on the lathe. He was hooked!

He did mostly pens and spindle turning for the first several years. In 2018 he was introduced to Apple Country Woodcrafters where he had an opportunity to learn from so many artisans. He then began to delve into bowl turning and other projects that sparked his interest. He now has offered some of his work for sale but generally he prefers to help in causes that he is

interested in.

 

One of his favorite charities is making wooden boxes for children of people incarcerated in the Weaverville area. These boxes along with many other toys from Apple Country Woodcrafters are

given to the various agencies in our area at a special Christmas Party during December. He hopes to continue his exploration of woodcrafting as long as he is able.