May Meeting – Show and Tell & Expert Panel

The May meeting will consist of two major items: an extended show and tell session and a question and answer session conducted by a panel. The panel will consist of Pat McCart, Dave Schweizer, Paul Crabtree, Ted Bartholomew, Jim Cotter, and Bill Wood. The panel will act as a sounding board for your questions, preferably related to wood turning, but, what the heck, we will try anything. Seriously though, if the answer does not come from the panel, I am sure that someone in our audience will be able to assist. We are extremely fortunate in having a member base that has delved into almost all elements of turning; be it spindles, bowls, vessels, segmented, pens, decorating, finishing, or what have you.

Please bring the pieces that you enjoy the most and share them with the rest of us. If you have a problem piece, by all means bring it with you. There will be someone here who can help you with it. If you are wondering what tool to use or if there is a jig that would make your turning easier, this is the time and the place to address it.

Most of the time we have to cut short the time allotted for helping each other solve problems or explaining how in the world you do that. This is the meeting to resolve those problems. So bring your problems and your problem resolutions and attend what should turn out to be a very inspirational meeting.

Membership Meeting

AAW Woodturning Sales Venues

The AAW provides a venue for woodturners and wood art collectors to come together. There are three venues available on the AAW website:

  • Artists/Gallery Market Place – This is where woodturners can list their work for sale. You must be an AAW member and pay a $10 fee to list your item, but there are no requirements to view the items that are listed for sale. There is a wide variety of work including pieces by Rodney Peterson, John Beaver, Cindy Drozda, Binh Pho, Curt Theobald, Bob Stocksdale, Malcolm Tibbetts, Stuart Mortimer, Ralph Watts and many others. There is an amazing collection of art available here.
  • Collector/Museum Corner – This is a secondary market for wood art for collectors, museums and estates who want to sell or barter their pieces. You must be an AAW member and pay a $10 fee to list your item, but there are no requirements to view the items that are listed for sale. Currently there are pieces offered by Mel Lindquist, Bert Marsh, Ed Moulthrop, Dale Chase, William Hunter, Bob Stocksdale and David Ellsworth.
  • Collector/Museum Wish List – This is for collectors, galleries and museums to list wood art they wish to acquire either new or through a secondary market. Membership in the AAW is required, but there is no fee. There are currently three listings in this venue

These venues offer AAW members a powerful tool to help market their woodturnings. The AAW website receives over 40,000,000 hits every year, and has 62,119 other websites that link to theirs, so $10 is very reasonable and the exposure could help with your other marketing efforts.

AAW / members

Covington Days Art Show Call For Entries

covington days festival art showThe Covington Days Festival has issued a call for entries for the annual Covington Days Festival Art Show. The show is scheduled for July 20th to 22nd at Cedar Heights Middle School in Covington. SPSW and Covington Arts Commission member Jonathan Combs is encouraging members to submit their work. He says that there weren’t many turned items last year and this is a good opportunity to expose our craft to more people.

This is a juried show with prizes awarded in six categories. The City of Covington also selects one piece of art per day for purchase to become part of the city’s art collection. All artwork must be original and priced to sell. There is a 20% commission for all sales which will be payable to the City of Covington.

Art intake is on July 19th with a free reception on the 20th. Entry fee is $5.00 per piece.

More information can be found at www.covingtonfestival.com

woodturning events

AAW Board Message

Note – The following message was sent by AAW Board member Binh Pho.

binh phoWhat’s new at the AAW Symposium in San José?

I have attended all but one AAW symposium since 1992. Since then, the number of demonstrator rotations, the tradeshow, and the Instant Gallery (IG) have been steadily growing. I have participated in symposiums around the world: England, Ireland, France, and I just recently returned from TurnFest in Australia. The most noticeable difference is the number of turned objects that are displayed at other symposiums compared to the AAW’s Instant Gallery.

At TurnFest, the 550 attendees exhibited 100 pieces in the Instant Gallery. This would mean that about 20 percent of the turners were represented, if each attendee had brought one piece. At the AAW symposiums, the total IG numbers work out to be about one-and-a-half times the number of attendees! And this has been true for the past 10 years. The quality and quantity of works exhibited are growing at a fast pace; I could spend an entire day there and still not have the chance to admire everything.

aaw 2012 symposiumI will moderate the Business of Business panel in San José, and I invited Thomas Riley, owner of Riley Gallery, to participate. While discussing gallery business, he and I came up with the idea of his gallery renting space at the convention center where special exhibits are located adjacent to the Instant Gallery. He will have a gallery-quality booth set up to display the work of artists that he represents. This addition to the AAW symposium is important for a number of reasons:

  1. Many of the woodturners who attend AAW symposiums do not regularly have the opportunity to visit gallery exhibitions of contemporary woodturning. Displayed in the manner of contemporary sculpture in museums, this means of exhibiting the work is inspirational. It is an opportunity for attendees to see work from leading figures in contemporary woodturning displayed under gallery lighting in a walled-off environment.

  2. Many collectors and museum curators attend our symposiums, and it is important for them to see high-end works, displayed in a gallery setting, along with the work of attendees in the Instant Gallery. This will both assist in growing the marketplace for contemporary woodturning and may also result in works being acquired for museum collections that can be enjoyed by the larger public.

  3. There are many woodturners who produce high-end work exhibited in museums but who aren’t able to travel to every symposium. Many will be represented by Riley Gallery, offering us an opportunity to view works in person that many attendees might not otherwise see.

  4. Many symposium attendees are happy to enjoy woodturning as hobbyists; however, there are some who are interested in exhibiting in galleries, nationally and in their hometown. Gaining knowledge of how works are displayed in this setting and learning more about the gallery business will assist these individuals with exhibiting and promoting their work.

This may prove to be the beginning of a new venture for the AAW, and if it is successful, I hope other galleries will join us at future symposiums. We will then be able to enjoy a “tradeshow” for the finished product, as well as a tradeshow for tools, wood, machines, and instructional materials, which are vital to the creation of the work. I am pleased that the AAW can assist and support a growing market for contemporary woodturning for the collectors and museum curators who seek to share it with an even larger segment of the public.

Binh Pho

AAW / symposiums

Message From the Oldfield Center

Note – The following message was sent from Joella Oldfield, director of the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage and Art Center

Dear Friends ~ Please enjoy the update on our Woodturning Show & share the info with your readers/members/friends.

judges choiceThe 1st Annual Woodturning Show at the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage & Art Center was held from March 17th through April 1st. Over 150 pieces of wood were entered. The Opening Reception was a huge success with over 550 people in attendance throughout the day. peoples choiceThis was exciting as many of the attendees were Western Art patrons who were not familiar with woodturnings. So not only did the show generate sales it was a tremendous educational venue. The Judges Show Award went to William Bender for his “Abbadon Destroyer of Worlds” and the People’s Choice Award went to Paul Crabtree for his piece “Majestic”. There were numerous Honarable Mention Awards.

Honorable MentionA Thank You goes to “Rockler Woodworking & Hardware” for being the event sponsor! The show dates for 2013 will be May 11 – May 31st.

Joella Oldfield
Director
Fred Oldfield Western Heritage and Art Center
PO Box 1539 ~ Puyallup, WA 98371
fredoldfieldcenter.org
253-445-9175

woodturning events

Upcoming May 4th Demo

dixie biggsWe have a fantastic all day demo scheduled for Friday, May 4th, beginning at 9:00. The demonstrator is Dixie Biggs.

windswept by dixie biggs
Windswept
Dixie Biggs lives in Gainesville, Florida, and has been a full-time studio woodturner/artist since 1989. Having a background in biology from the University of Florida and a love of gardening, much of her work incorporates a botanical theme. She has exhibited her work in such notable venues as del Mano Gallery, Smithsonian Craft Show, American Craft Exposition and Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. Her work is in many public and private collections worldwide. She has demonstrated at regional and national symposiums, including Australia, the Utah Woodturning Symposium and the American Association of Woodturners.

The woodturnings of Dixie Biggs combine the highest craftsmanship in both her selection of materials and in their shaping on Dixie’s lathe. The intricate carvings that cover the surfaces of many of her pieces are inspired by nature and are not mere embellishments but seem an integral part of the particular piece of wood she is focused on as she works, unlocking classic, balanced forms from rough logs which she seems able to see into from the first time she touches them.

Surrender Dorothy by Dixie Biggs
Surrender Dorothy
She will begin the demo by demonstrating several easy surface embellishments using tools many already have; such as dremel and engraver. She will then show how to enhance pieces with the use of dyes, grain fillers and colored waxes.

She will then progress to rotary power relief carving techniques. She will take you step by step through her process from layout to detail carving.

It is not often we get someone with Dixie’s talent for a demonstration to our club members. This is truly a onetime opportunity.

The cost for this demonstration is only $30. The only way we can continue to offer these types of demonstrators at these prices is for our membership to participate. We need you to sign up for this demo. Usually we have a meeting scheduled right before the demo. This time we are short that advertising opportunity.

If you would like to attend, please notify Eric Lofstrom or Dan Stromstad.

You can see more of her work on her website dixibiggs.com. Again, this demo is scheduled for Friday, May 4th.

demonstrator / techniques / woodturner profile / woodturning events