Anna Rachinsky
I was born and raised in Munich, Germany. As a high school student, I loved to spend time in the school’s pottery studio and in Munich’s art museums and was considering a career as a potter or goldsmith. But when the decision came to go to college, my interest in science won over my interest in art. After working for over 20 years as a research scientist and college biology teacher in Germany, France, Canada and the US, I only started to turn wood after moving to Kerrville in 2006. It is all Andy’s fault! One of my colleagues, an accomplished wood turner, took me to a meeting of the Hill Country Turners … and
that was the beginning of an addiction to wood turning and many ‘scientific discoveries’ – you never know exactly what‘s inside a piece of wood until it is rough turned or hollowed.
I like to work with local woods: mesquite, ligustrum, cedar elm, juniper, jujube, 
acacia, mountain laurel and escarpment cherry. ‘Imperfections’ like spalting, burls or insect holes contribute to the character and beauty of a piece and often determine its final shape. One of my favorite woods is spalted box elder with its delicate color patterns in vivid red, orange, grey and black. I like to experiment with different shapes and styles. Most of my pieces are small, from tiny miniatures to 6 inches in diameter.