As a child in Italy, Mark Lombardi often watched his grandfather, a carpenter, at work, but despite the older man's pleas he resisted all efforts to become interested himself.

A few years later, when the family moved to Bermuda, he had to take woodwork classes at Saltus Grammar School, but they did nothing to capture his interest either. Rather, it was through a friend who had a lathe that the teenager first got hooked on wood turning, and he made a lamp and a pair of candle sticks for his mother.

There the matter rested until three years ago when Mr. Lombardi began to think again about wood turning. Given the very limited size of his workshop he decided that this would be an ideal hobby because all it required was a lathe and some hand tools. He also began buying relevant magazines and studying the how-to's within them.

With the purchase of a lathe, he picked up his chisels and began to experiment. The more he did, the better he got, and while he admits there is still much more to learn, his work thus far is of sufficient quality that he has been invited to have a one-man exhibition in the Colonial Gallery, Jardine House, Reid Street.

Unlike many wood turners, who seek perfection in their raw materials, Mr. Lombardi chooses to incorporate natural imperfections into his art. This is particularly true of Bermuda cedar, which is one of his favourite woods.

Very often, like cloud-watchers, he sees other images in the natural shapes of the wood. The cedar slice in one clock, for example, when turned one way resembles a bird in flight; turned another, it is the outline of England.

"It is very rewarding," Mr. Lombardi says of his hobby. "I don't like to do just plain, very simple pieces and remove all of the exterior things. I like to keep some of the bark and intrusions that insects have made into the wood. Sometimes my work doesn't look totally finished but that is the idea I have gone with."

Like all dedicated hobbyists, the Paget resident is constantly on the look-out for pieces of wood, both here and abroad, that he can turn into expressions of his art. Thus his collection includes mango from Hawaii, white cedar, mesquite, and of course Bermuda cedar, although he notes that the latter is not adaptable to being lathed very thin - unlike some woods which can be refined to one-eighth inch thick. Also, through word of mouth people donate pieces of wood to him with the proviso that they make something for them too.

Usually, inspiration for the finished product is suggested by the raw shape of the wood itself, so Mr. Lombardi's collection may include everything from bowls to clocks and Christmas tree ornaments. Very often he will combine different woods in one piece, producing unusual effects, and everything he creates is one of a kind. Finishes vary from teak oil to polish, wax or sanding sealer.

How the amateur wood turner came to have his first one-man exhibition in the Colonial Gallery is down to what he describes as "the generosity of Mr. William Madeiros, managing director of Colonial Insurance Ltd.", and in his quiet way Mr. Lombardi is clearly pleased to have been afforded the opportunity.

"Colonial likes to help upcoming artists," he says. "Hopefully, it will go well."

He has, however, been a regular competitor in Agricultural Exhibitions.

"I usually sweep anything I have entered thus far, but then there isn't much competition in wood turning," he says modestly.

After a long, busy day at work, there is nothing Mr. Lombardi likes better than spending part of his evening at his lathe, where the stresses of the job are smoothed away.

"I can get into it and zone out, and have nothing to do with anything around me for a while," he says.

l The Art of Cedar opens on and continues for a month. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Admission is free.