Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Philip Moulthrop was educated as an attorney, but today he is a second-generation wood turner. He is the son of one of the pioneering wood-turners of the 20th century, the recently deceased Ed Moulthrop. It is a fitting tribute to both father and son, that Philip's vessels do not just replicate his father's but aptly continue the elder Moulthrop's tradition of innovation and set a new standard of mastery for this ancient and noble craft.

Wood turning dates back to some of mankind's' earliest civilizations. While the basics have been known since the Etruscans and the Celts worked on a simple foot-powered lathe as early as 1000 B.C., the innovation and refinement evident in Moulthrop's work speaks of modern technology. Developed by Ed and employed by Philip, the wood is subject to a stabilization process similar to that used in marine archeology, allowing them to work on a heroic scale not practical in earlier times.

Philip's inspiration ranges from art history to nature itself. Doug Heller writes of Moulthrop's work: 'Philip explores the inherent potential of each log as he seeks to release the natural beauty of its grain and color. His forms speak of the essential lathe-turning process. Though minimal and understated they manage to uncover and display unique grain patterns.' His singular contribution to the field has been his dramatic mosaic bowls, a technically and esthetically innovative Mosaic and Bundled Mosaic series combine resin and wood in a dramatic interplay of dark and light forms, just as easily seen as an encounter between advanced imaging technology and an ancient forest.

Philip Moultrop's work has been featured in more than one hundred international exhibitions and can be found in the private collections of Presidents Nelson Mandela and George Bush as well as in permanent collections of premier museums such as the Smithsonian Museum of American Art's Renwick Gallery, New York's Museum of Art and Design and the White House Collection of American Crafts.