René Baxalle

I have always been attracted to wood and have very fond memories of carving little figurines with my pocket knife when I was around 10.​​​

René Baxalle came to woodturning when he was given a lathe in 2001. Previously, he had associated woodturning exclusively with furniture—banister, table legs. After joining a local woodturners club, he discovered the creative potential of the lathe. Early on, he started experimenting with woven wood inlays, liking the intricacy of weaving and the way each strand blends and connects with others to become one. To him, each strand can represent an experience in someone’s life, and the resulting woven form is the person’s mind or soul.

René grew up on a farm in the southwest of France, in an area called Dordogne. He moved to New Zealand in 1991. He found the transition liberating, moving from a country steeped in tradition to a newer, younger country, more willing to embrace innovation and creativity.

I didn’t choose woodwork as a career but instead opted for the electrical trade. This might be the reason I so love working with wood now.

René describes staying at home to look after their two children as a turning point in his life. As he explains, spending time with young children can be a rich experience, a chance to see the world through different eyes.

René does not use synthetic material and will not use glue if he can avoid it because, as he says, he wants the different parts that form a piece to want to be together, not be forced. Another design he likes involves overlapping pieces of wood like the cladding of wooden houses or the sides of wooden clinker boats. This style, found in his waka huia for sale (Maori war canoe) and wooden jewellery box nz, is similar to the wood weaving, with all parts supporting each other to become one.

René belongs to Auckland woodturning clubs and NZ woodworking societies. His work is held in private collections across New Zealand. He is available for commissions.

Art by the River is the newest of several Whanganui art galleries, and opened in December 2024. The gallery features a blend of emerging and well known new zealand artists, alongside an exclusive art Collectables selection of local artists paintings for sale. As art dealers and collectors, we include rare and sought-after artworks by internationally recognised artists such as Gretchen Albrecht, Banksy, Damien Hirst, Ralph Hotere and Andy Warhol. We are committed to supporting NZ artists by providing gallery exhibition space in-house, connecting both New Zealand and international art collectors with meaningful works of art, and contributing to Whanganui's unique cultural environment.