My name is John and I live in the Southeastern area of Sicily. I’ve been working with wood in various forms for the past 50 years and quite remarkably still possess all of my fingers and body parts!
The sculptures and bowls I make are all from olive wood that are found as stumps and old branches or as pieces given to me by friends who admire my work and would like to, in some way, be a part of the history of an item. I am always humbled by this generosity and I am thankful for such friends.
Enough about me, what about the olive trees?
Evidence from fossils indicates the olive tree had its origins some 20–40 million years ago, in what is now Italy and the eastern Mediterranean Basin. The olive plant was first cultivated some 7,000 years ago in Mediterranean regions. It is a vital part of agriculture and knows for its long life span as well as its significance as a symbol of peace.
The edible olive seems to have coexisted with humans for about 5,000 to 6,000 years, going back to the early Bronze Age (3150 to 1200 BC). Its origin can be traced to the Levant based on written tablets, olive pits, and wood fragments found in ancient tombs.