The art of turning wood

What is it about taking a ordinary log or a long square of wood and watching it spin away on a lathe? At first you just remove the bark or the edges and then before long it is round. The fun and the discovery has just begun. No one knows what  is to be found inside that wood. The woodturner has an idea: a bowl, a vase, a candle stand, a plate, or maybe a Harry Potter magic wand? Maybe it is a simple as having a small bowl for strawberries and yogurt and a wooden plate to hold an English muffin.