A native of Hamburg, Germany, Christian Burchard began his career as a furniture maker's apprentice in Germany in the mid1970s and then studied sculpture and drawing in the U.S. His passion for sculpture brought him to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

In 1982, his love for the Pacific Madrone Burl hardwood prompted the opening of a studio in Southern Oregon. His early focus was on furniture and interiors but gradually shifted to woodturning and sculpture. His sculpture work is highly revered and has been part of all the most major woodturning exhibitions for the last 20 years. He says, "I have been working with wood for most of my life. We are comfortable with each other, have a close relationship and I value the connection immensely. I make things out of a deep urge to create and out of driving curiosity."

Burchard's work is exhibited widely throughout the US. His pieces are part of many public and private collections, such as the Museum of Arts & Design in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

His current work includes wall sculptures and freestanding sculptural objects. He is also sought after as a teacher and demonstrator at craft schools and conferences and related turning events. He currently resides with his wife in the outskirts of Ashland, Oregon.