LAURENT NICLOT is originally from Southern France, now living in Colorado. Laurent has always loved wood. While working on a degree in woodworking and furniture design, he discovered woodturning and knew it was his passion. At age 20, he participated in the six-month long woodturning class at the Escoulen School in Aiguines, France with Jean-François Escoulen and Yann Marot. After the class, Laurent was hired and worked as the studio coordinator for three years. Today, he continues to make work and teach woodturning. His interests include traditional woodturning, texturing, coloring, multi-axis turning, carving, and hollowing. He has taught his techniques around the world, including Belgium, France, Canada, and the US. Laurent considers his work experimental, and his aim is to make pieces that are sculptural, decorative, and designed with a strong message or a story to tell.