Kelly Dunn

Kelly Dunn is widely acclaimed as one of Hawaii’s finest wood turners. Kelly lives on the north end of the Big Island of Hawaii and he specializes in woods grown on the Big Island. He is dedicated to creating unique bowls, hollow vessels and art forms.

Our Story of The Fence Post Series. Kelly Dunn recently obtained a small number of historic (circa 1920s) Koa fence posts from a former farm in South Kona.  He has created something extraordinary from them. In this day and age, we usually think of Koa as being used in artistic woodworking, fine furniture and cabinetry.  However, in the past, it had broader usage, among other things including fences and building construction. Indeed our gallery building (built in 1925) is, in large part, constructed of Koa wood.   

Starting from a raw weathered post, Kelly has slowly and carefully turned it into a very limited series of Koa wood bowls of unsurpassed beauty. We find the color of these bowls to be quite different and mesmerizing. We suspect this results from the most unusual way in which the posts were naturally aged and weathered during their service on the farm.   

These bowls are a wonderful example of reclaimed woodwork, providing this wood with a third life - from tree to farm service to incredible art. 

We are very pleased to be able to offer this rare opportunity for our customers to enjoy and share these beautiful bowls and their historic connection to old Hawaii.