The West Sussex Woodturners, were delighted when Julia Edge and her husband Will accepted the invitation to present their club’s awards and judge the annual presentation evening’s competition. At the event club members enter an array of turned pieces to win the coveted prize. Judging wood turning skills does not usually fall under the day to day remit for Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre’s curator, but Julia was soon put as ease when it was explained that she was not judging perfect turning skills, but choosing items that she would like to see in her home. The West Sussex Woodturners run a quarterly club competition that challenges members to use different turning skills to create specific items. The points awarded for these pieces are tallied to produce the yearly club winners. They are recognised and presented with engraved cups or shields at the awards dinner in Sullington Parish Hall. Having enjoyed a sumptuous meal, Julia and Will took their time to view and inspect the varied items entered into the competition. With no specific brief other than to display an item you would like to see in your home, the entries ranged from the unusual, to functional, to fun and elegant with a castle, vases, bowls, a skittles game and many more stunning pieces to choose from. The decision to choose a favourite was not easy. Julia said: “The quality and beauty of the work is outstanding. It is so very difficult to judge as I would choose everything to have in my home.” Not surprisingly Julia and Will chose different items, but the three final choices were made by Julia, with third prize going to the Stetson crafted by Dave Newson, the second to a wafer thin tea cup and saucer by John Woolgar and first to a stunning birch bowl by Colin Willetts.

 

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For every artist, there is a defining moment when a hobby moves to a passion—for Gordon Fowler that moment has continued to resonate with him. Starting as a stay-at-home dad who put together birdhouses in his free time, Fowler has grown his craft of wood turning into a full-time profession.

With an interest in building small pieces of furniture, Fowler took a class at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. There he met a friend of the family who was taking a class in wood turning and loaned him a spare lathe. Fowler returned to Arrowmont in 2000 and took his first woodturning class, and has continued to hone his skills. “I fell in love with the tool. Being able to take a junk piece of wood and turn it into something beautiful piece is just so cool.”

Fowler sources all his wood from Knoxville and surrounding communities. He is able to collect wood that is destined to be waste or firewood and turn it into something beautiful.

Presently he is working on a large pitcher and goblet series with an exploration of the theme of water and its life-giving aspects, alongside an exploration of symbolism of the circle. You can see his work at his studio at the Art Market Gallery, and you can also find him at the Harding Art Show in Nashville in May, the Annual Foothills Craft Guild Show, and Artsclamation.  

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Beccles-based woodturner Andy Coates took it in his stride when Channel 4 asked him to make a scold’s chair in order to duck Professor Alice Roberts in the River Wensum.

It was an unusual request to say the least: could woodturner Andy Coates put together a 17th century ducking stool capable of punishing a scold in the River Wensum?

Andy, who owns Cobwebcrafts in Worlingham, was contacted by the makers of Britain’s Most Historic Towns just weeks before the show filmed a section about Tudor crime and punishment in Norwich and asked if he could replicate the chair which was traditionally used to punish “disorderly women”.

Also known as a scolding stool or stool of repentance, the wooden chair was used in England as a form of public humiliation and often involved the accused being paraded through the town before they were tied into the chair and then lowered into water.  

Repeated duckings routinely proved fatal, the victim dying of shock or drowning.

“I was slightly nervous that I might end up killing a national treasure,” laughed Andy, whose creation was tested by Professor Alice Roberts who presents the Tudor Norwich episode of the series on Saturday April 28 at 8pm at Pulls Ferry close to Norwich Cathedral.

“It’s certainly one of the most unusual commissions I’ve ever had and I didn’t have long to make it, but I enjoyed the challenge and loved being involved in the filming.”

Andy said that he had just under a fortnight to construct the torture device which programme makers had hoped would be used at the original site for ducking – at Fye Bridge in Norwich – but which had to be used down-river at a more suitable site.

“We realised it would be impossible to erect the stool at Fye Bridge because of the location. Each chair would have been constructed to suit its location, so as soon as I knew I couldn’t use it there, we had to find somewhere else – Colin Howey, the clerk of the Stonemason’s Guild, suggested Pulls Ferry.

“I went to the river there, took my boots off and waded in, but it the water was only up to my shins, so I knew we’d have to wait – it’s a tidal river, so at points it’s deeper. I then needed permission from the council to take up some of the concrete in order to secure the post for the chair.”

Made from Russian pine which was waxed and stained to look as if it had aged, Andy secured the post at 8am on filming day last autumn and then crossed his fingers.

“I’d had to ask for Alice’s measurements and her weight, which felt a bit intrusive but was very necessary so that the chair was big enough – in the 17th century, health and safety wasn’t a top concern, but in 2017, it most definitely was,” he said.

“The two gents doing the dunking were Colin and Dave Tonge, a Tudor storyteller and author – Alice was a really good sport and was absolutely lovely. It all went to plan and Alice was ducked in the Wensum and suffered a Tudor punishment with very good grace.

“It was absolutely exhausting – I had to stay and dismantle the chair and then repair the ground where it had stood, then wait for the council to inspect it, but it was a really good day. I was so impressed at the level of detail involved in the filming. I’ll be watching it with a glass of wine in hand!”

Andy’s normal work sees him create a whole range of woodturned creations, including stair spindles, bowls and pots.

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It started out as a hobby just over 10 years ago, and now Darren Breeze has used his woodturning talents to open his own shop in Lowestoft.

Mr Breeze, 49, took up the hobby after a rough few years when his business and home life were on the point of collapse.

In his younger years he battled drink and drug problems, but after moving back to East Anglia he became a father to twins and set up his own business as a builder.

However when the recession hit his business suffered and with stress and depression hitting him hard he was in need of a release.

He said: “I didn’t have any hobbies and I needed to do something. I saw a piece of work by a woodturner called Nick Agar and it was a lot different to what I thought woodturning would be.

“After a couple of lessons I bought a lathe to have a go and I’ve been challenging myself ever since to see what I can do.”

Mr Breeze joined the Waveney and Norwich woodturners groups, bought tools, books and magazines and devoted his evenings and weekends to perfecting his craft.

“With a lathe you can go into the workshop and spend half an hour making a pen and an hour making a bowl and have something to show for it when you come out. It was very therapeutic for me,” he said.

Mr Breeze is a member of the Register of Professional Turners, supported by The Worshipful Company of Turners of London, which has been supporting the craft for more than 400 years.

He said: “There’s very few people in the world that turn the size and scale that I turn so I’m getting a lot of attention now from all over the world.

“Most traditional woodturners make round brown things, but I make round brown things and then attack them with a chainsaw, blow torch, paints, and graffiti spray.”

The official opening of Art and Craft in Wood, located at 117 High Street in Lowestoft, was held yesterday.

As well as visitors being able to watch him from his workshop, Mr Breeze will also be streaming himself working online and offering classes to those wishing to learn.

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The windy storms of the late winter months leveled many trees across the area. But in a woodshop tucked in Salem’s Artist Row, logs from those weeping willows sit waiting for their turn to be repurposed for another life.

Tommy Gagnon, a longtime Marblehead resident who recently moved to Salem, owns Boston Woodturning, a shop full of unique pieces crafted using locally-sourced wood.

Just inside the door, Gagnon can be found behind a wood lathe, wearing a face shield adorned with horns, turning and sculpting bulky pieces of wood into hand-crafted art and functional pieces like bowls, platters, and vases.

“What I like about it is the creativity behind it,” said Gagnon. “These pieces of wood have stories. They come from different places. Some pieces have sentimental value and others historical.”

His collection includes chunks of black locust from Marblehead’ Peach’s Point and maple logs from the Salem Willows.

Mike and Kathy Campbell traveled from Upton to the Salem shop Friday afternoon to drop off pieces of their beloved red oak tree and have them crafted into invaluable memorabilia.

The four stumps from the tree, which was at least 100 years old, were each more than 200 pounds, said Mike Campbell.

He described the tree to be the centerpiece of their family home, towering over their yard until it was killed by insects.

“It was a great tree,” he said. “My wife wants (Gagnon) to make three bowls out of it.”

Two of the bowls will be given to their daughters and the third will remain in their home, he said.

Gagnon recently created art from black locust logs from Marblehead. One sits in a quaint display within his shop, and a second was donated to a Marblehead-based nonprofit, SPUR, which was established to inspire good deeds and connect young people with volunteer opportunities. It will be auctioned off to benefit the organization.

Each piece is created during several sessions that can last many hours. Oftentimes, the plan Gagnon envisions changes as he works with the cracks and imperfections of the wood. Rather than covering up the marks, he lets the uniqueness of the wood  dictate the direction he is going in with the work.

“The closest place that I know of that does what I do is in Costa Rica,” said Gagnon. “There is not another place that I know of in the country that takes local wood and creates usable pieces. I’m testing myself to be a better artist with every piece.”

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Ely mayor Richard Hobbs arrived in all his civic finery – only to discard them moments later to take up the ‘hands on’ challenge of a group of woodturners.

Councillor Hobbs was a guest of the Ely Guild of Woodturners at their open day at Little Thetford village hall.

With consummate timing, and appropriate coaching, he accepted the invitation to try whether, late in life, he could master the intricacies of the more experienced enthusiasts.

He was not alone in trying out the machinery.

It remains, of course, one of those fascinating pastimes that have attracted a membership of more than 70 to the guild that was first set up in the area in 1988.

Saturday’s event was the chance for members to show off their talent, to demonstrate their art, and for visitors to see the fruits of the labours of these skilled enthusiasts.

 

Those tempted to buy must wait for the summer exhibition at an art in wood event at the cathedral centre in Ely where their work is showcased each year.

For this day, however, it was a case of encouraging a new audience to take up woodturning as a hobby and to recruit new members to their monthly get-togethers.

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The annual Hands-On Woodturning symposium will be held this weekend at the Career Academy, 1200 College Drive on the Bismarck State College campus.

Hosted by the Dakota Woodturners, 39 local participants will have an opportunity to watch and work with professional turners Keith Gotschall, Craig Timmerman and Ron Day.

Gotschall, of Colorado, has worked in cabinet shops and created eclectic furniture. In 1989, he began a ling of designs under the name K2 Woodworks. In 1997, he turned his focus to woodturning. Gotschall, who will be giving instruction at the symposium on how to make a lidded ring bowl with finial, does architectural turning, furniture, teaching and demonstrations.

Timmerman, of Texas, has been a full-time artist and production wood-turner since 2008. He will be giving instruction this weekend on how to make a square-rimmed bowl.

Day, who has been turning wood for 15 years, also has done demonstrations at the Sioux Falls and Rocky Mountain symposiums. He will be giving instruction on how to make a bird house ornament.

Participants will be bringing their project to create an instant gallery, which will be located in the lobby of the Career Academy. The gallery is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon Sunday.

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Every time Julie Booker uses her wig stand, she’s reminded of her mother, who battled cancer 40 years ago.

Booker, a cancer survivor herself, received her handcrafted wig stand while undergoing chemotherapy several years back. She still wears a wig today because a medical condition after chemo prevented her hair from growing back. When she uses her stand, she said she’s reminded of how cancer took her own mother’s life.

“Nearly 40 years ago, imagine the terrible wigs. She had nothing to stand it on. No care for the product,” she said. “And here I am with a beautiful stand given to me. How lucky I am.”

Booker, who volunteers at the Canadian Cancer Society in Ottawa, said she is more than ready to receive more than 170 handcrafted stands donated by the Ottawa Valley Woodturners for the society’s wig salon on Tuesday. She said the salon has completely run out of them.

Members young and old from the woodturners club — a group that practises and teaches the art of woodturning — have handcrafted a large collection of wig stands for cancer patients.

Each stand has been individually designed to offer a personal touch for those going through a difficult stage in their lives.

“These are really beautiful pieces. They’re very personalized,” said project head Samuel Lewinshtein. “I asked the makers to sign their names on the stands.”

Lewinshtein said the club’s aim was to make 150 stands as part of the Canada 150 celebrations last year, although the project continued into 2018 due to personal commitments. Even so, they surpassed their goal with 177 stands made.

Lewinshtein, who’s been woodturning for nearly 20 years, said the project was fuelled by his desire to help those in need after having donated so much of his work to CHEO the last decade.

“When the verdict comes in that you have cancer, that changes your whole life,” he said. “If I can give them something positive when they’re going through treatment, then I will.”

Lewinshtein said the club’s support for the project was overwhelming, and that he “didn’t have to twist any arms for people to volunteer their time.” Nearly 70 members, both experienced and novice, joined the cause.

“It was a real community effort,” he said.

Each stand is about 15 inches high, although some members incorporated up to 20 pieces of high-quality wood in their designs.

Shirley Stapley, a club member for eight years, was so excited about the project that she and her husband spent eight hours a day for a week making 10 stands, and plan to make even more.

“I know how hard it is when you lose your hair,” she explained. “I’ve unfortunately lost my hair twice due to other medical issues, and would have loved something that was handmade for me at the time.”

The pair made their stands out of maple burl – an expensive wood donated to them by an Ottawa hardwood store. She said that one of her stands has already been donated to a patient who was “just in tears … she was so happy.”

Julie Booker said handcrafted stands are always very poignant, and she’s grateful for the woodturners club’s efforts.

“I know every single person (in the salon) will appreciate them. The stands will be loved and valued.”

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OT talks with retired optometrist, Basil Bloom, about the works of art he creates with olive trees grown on his land

I have always built things. As a child, I started with Meccano, then model planes and rockets. I took woodwork at A-level as an additional subject.

We bought a house in Portugal about 10 years ago. I have a big workshop there and thought I would have a go at woodturning. We have olive trees on the land that I can use to make bowls.

I bought a second-hand lathe on e-bay. I shipped it down to Portugal, started woodturning and realised I had no idea what I was doing. I had chisels flying through the air and hitting the wall. I did a two-day woodturning course in the UK, which was absolutely brilliant and taught me what to do.

Gift of giving

At one stage I was doing two bowls a week, which is a huge amount. Thank goodness for Christmas. That year I gave away 40 bowls. All of my family and almost everyone I know has a piece of my work. If they don’t like it, they can put it on the fire and it will provide heat for a few moments.

The piece I am most proud of is a Menorah, which is traditionally used during the Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. It has eight candlesticks, then a ninth one is used to light the other eight. I’m very proud of this because it is an original design. It’s one of the pieces I can’t give away because it is the only piece that my son really likes. I have had one commission, which was for a crucifix and two candles for the children’s alter in a church that my friends go to.

The never-ending project

I enjoy starting from scratch and putting something together. You can take a piece of firewood – wood that would otherwise be burnt – and you can turn it into something beautiful.

The pleasure is in the making not in the finished piece. We have a load of bowls and pots sitting around here in the house. I look at them and think they are not bad but they could be improved on. As with anything creative, you have to make a decision as to when to stop.

 

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The fourth annual Woodturner’s Exhibition opens this Sunday with the latest work by veterans and newcomers to the craft.

Under the theme “Turning To Art”, Doongalik Studios on Village Road will host the official opening from 3pm to 6pm. The exhibit will feature the works of four wood artists: Robin Hardy, Jeremy Delancy, Kim Deveaux and Quentin Minnis.

The theme reflects the diversity of wood artists working in the Bahamas and examines different techniques and material than those used in previous shows.

This year, the group welcomed two new artists into the collective: Kim Deveaux specialises in very detailed engraving and carving; her preferred media being local woods and coconut shells. Meanwhile, Quentin Minnis uses found wood to make frames that allow his Bahamian-themed paintings to expand beyond their borders.

Jeremy Delancy, the group’s organiser, said: “Robin Hardy and myself have presented in all of the exhibitions to date, but we felt that inviting new artists will open new dimensions in how our audience sees and experiences wood as an artistic medium.”

The exhibition will be on display until May 4. Further information can be obtained by contacting the gallery at pam.burnside@doongalik.com or by telephone at 394-1886.

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