SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER: Woodturners’ love for their craft is contagious (11/28/2016)

A decade ago when Larry Randolph joined the Woodturners of Southwest Missouri, it consisted of 12 guys who’d meet, swap tools and talk shop.

But a lot has changed, and membership has since exploded.

“When I joined five years ago, I was number 45 or 46,” said Helen Beeman, a member. “Now we have run out of space. We have the large conference room and run all over each other. It’s so much fun. We have people come from Osceola, Willow Springs, Harrison, Arkansas. We have people come from two hours away for a meeting,”

Don Banning lives in West Plains and drives 100 miles to get to a meeting, but it’s well worth it, he says.

Today, the Woodturners of Southwest Missouri has about 135 members, and growth can be attributed to a variety of factors. First, Randolph and a few other members made an effort to attract new talent; they established a full board and officers for the club. They set up a booth at the Ozark Empire Fair and Artsfest each year and demonstrate the craft.

They also started a mentoring program so new members can learn from seasoned woodturners.

When Jim Heck, a stone carver, started attending meetings four years ago, he was impressed. Heck does not consider himself a “joiner,” but he ended up joining this group.

“What I saw was the better woodturners shared with the newer woodturners. There were no secrets. People are eager to share what has helped advance them in their craft. It was an opportunity to have fellowship with people who were elevated in their craft,” Heck said.

Another big change has been a shift in attitudes toward woodturning.

“What our mission is is to educate the public about woodturning in general,” said Randolph, who is vice president of the organization. “To elevate it from hillbilly junction toothpick holders to something that is more artistic. We have people from one spectrum to the other. We have people who want to turn bowls, candlestick holders, hollowed vessels. Some of our members are well-known artists and have work in galleries around the country.”

When it comes to their professions, membership runs the gamut from retired doctors, lawyers, dentists, teachers to retired firemen. More women and younger people have joined the club — also one of Randolph’s missions.

Spencer Paul, 23, is one of the newer members. He teaches middle school in Joplin and started turning wood pens two years ago. Paul attended his first meeting in July and said he’s already learned there are so many possibilities when it comes to woodturning. What started as a hobby has grown into a passion.

One of the reasons he enjoys the meetings is the club brings in a demonstrating woodturner every month. Randolph said they often seek artists from outside the area.

“I started booking demonstrations several years ago and we have pulled in turners from other chapters of American Association of Woodturners like from Kansas City, St. Louis, Rogers, Arkansas. The chapters tend to be their own gene pool. When I started, everyone turned bowls and that was it. That can probably be said about a lot of clubs in the region. It has broadened our horizons to see what others are doing,” Randolph said.

While many members just turn as a hobby, there is a growing market for homemade items for those who want to sell.

Take for example Etsy, the online handmade goods marketplace which continues to see growth. Etsy reported an 11.5 percent year-over-year increase in active sellers in the second quarter of 2016, for a total of 1.7 million worldwide, along with a 20 percent increase in active buyers.

The company reports a 39 percent increase in revenue in that same timeframe, and results were so strong it revised its financial outlook for 2016. Etsy reports it has 26.1 million active buyers.

The “buy local” movement has helped some, too. While some club members prefer to work with exotic woods from Africa and Asia, most of them use repurposed or rescued local wood, which really appeals to some buyers who want local wood, said Randolph.

“It’s not like going to Walmart and buying a mass-produced bowl that came from China. These are all one piece; every one of them is different and it’s unique. That goes back to local wood. If you find a tree that is downed with a story, whether it be Fassnight or from someone’s homestead, there is a story, a connection,” said Randolph.

That connection resonates with buyers.

Missouri has an ample supply of beautiful hardwoods to work with, said Carol Huser, one of the original members who is also an established woodturning artist. His work can be seen at Fresh Gallery in downtown Springfield.

Many of them share a love and respect for the medium, and “it’s contagious,” said Huser.

“I love wood,” echoed Beeman. “I love the grains, the different types of wood. I just like the fact you never know what you are going to get until you are finished. You can pick up a piece of wood that looks horrible and then it can turn into a beautiful bowl. I do it for the joy of it.”

It’s a wonderful creative outlet, said Banning.

When he joined the club, he was just learning to turn and expected it to be a hobby. But then he discovered it was useful: he could create kitchen tools, fix broken handles, make a salad bowl for his wife.

“I rather enjoy it. Of course, the sky is the limit as far as design. I am limited by my own mind,” he said.

Banning said he appreciates the group members for their character and talent. Members are not satisfied with “mediocre work,” which inspires him to strive for better work, too.

The Woodturners of Southwest Missouri are also increasingly involved in the community. At the Ozark Empire Fair, they sell tops and donate the money to the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks in honor of one of their members who lost his wife to breast cancer a few years ago.

The last two years they made bowls for Ozarks Food Harvest’s Empty Bowls soup fundraiser. This year, they turned 114 bowls for the fundraiser, which was “extremely successful” said Christine Temple, communications coordinator for Ozarks Food Harvest.

The group supplied about half the bowls sold at the event, which raised close to $7,500.

“They are such a great group and it’s wonderful what they do collectively for the community and as individual artists,” Temple said.

Many of the artists donate their work to charity auctions in town.

And there’s another reason their membership ranks have swelled: camaraderie and a sense of community.

“It has given me contact with artists that I wasn’t getting any other way,” said Heck.

Many have formed friendships along the way.

“They are like family,” said Beeman. “I have my real family and I have my woodturning family. I love them both.”

View source and photos.

NEWS & SENTINEL: Three exhibits to open at Parkersburg Art Center (11/21/2016)

Area photographers, wood-turners and women artists from all over the Appalachian region will debut new exhibits on Sunday at the Parkersburg Art Center.

An opening reception will kick off the exhibits “Take Your Best Shot IV,” “Turn, Turn, Turn” and “Women of Appalachia” from 1-3 p.m. Sunday at the art center at Eighth and Market streets in downtown Parkersburg.

The exhibits will be on display through Dec. 31. The public is invited to the opening reception on Sunday. Admission is $10 for non-art center members, with no charge for members or young people under age 12, said art center director Abby Hayhurst.

“Take Your Best Shot IV” features works by 65 area amateur and professional photographers, many members of the Parkersburg Area Photography Club. Kathy Abbott, Art Center docent and spokesperson for the club, said the photographers used a variety of techniques to produce pictures for the exhibit, from traditional methods to newer digital manipulation techniques.

“We also encouraged our members to choose photos that were of local interest,” Abbott said.

The “Turn, Turn, Turn” exhibit is made up of examples of wood-turning. The show was organized by art center participant Henry Aglio.

Hayhurst said wood-turning was an ancient art, likely begun in Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs.

“The techniques our artists have used to produce the pieces for this show are basically the same as when the art was invented. The wood is spun on a lathe and the artist uses a cutting tool of some sort to slowly shape the piece. The work is exacting and finicky, and takes a great deal of patience and skill. I’m impressed as all get out with the pieces that have been submitted,” she said.

The annual “Women of Appalachia Project” is a juried exhibit for women artists in Ohio, West Virginia and throughout the Appalachian Region. This year’s exhibit will open in Parkersburg, then tour galleries in several Ohio venues. Hayhurst said 40 artists had works accepted in all mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, and for the first time, a multi-media installation.

“We are grateful to WesBanco, the sponsor of these exhibits, and hope everyone will come to the opening reception on Sunday and see all this great stuff,” she said, adding many of the artists will be present at the opening reception to answer questions and discuss their work.

Guests at the art center will see some blank spaces around the galleries, which are being reserved for the fourth show that will finish out the year for the center’s exhibit calendar — “Artist-Trees 2016.” According to Hayhurst, this will be the fifteenth year that the center has produced this exhibit, made up of Christmas trees designed to look as if they were trimmed by famous artists.

“Our Trees will debut with the art center’s Holiday Open House on Saturday, Nov. 26,” she said. “We have some wild and crazy Trees in the works, some made here by volunteers and staff, and some by area school classes.”

The Parkersburg Art Center is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, with a daily admission charge of $2, and no charge for children under 12.

 

View source and photos.

TIMES & STAR: Workington woodturner Roy George turns to glass (11/15/2016)

He first discovered the craft at an event in Allonby where he saw an expert called Rich Felix, of Salta, in action. Rich invited Roy to have a go and he has been hooked ever since.

Roy’s house is awash with his creations and he works on items in between caring for his wife Sue, 44, who has multiple sclerosis.

His creations include bowls, vases, castle turrets, a small nursing chair and a small four-poster bed and has his own venture, Celtic Dragon Woodturning.

He says: “I get pieces of wood and put them on the lathes and the wood speaks to me.

“I don’t have a plan for it. Some people will make a drawing first whereas I put wood on the lathes and start turning and something will come to me.

“I mostly make bowls and vases, but I made the small nursing chair and small four-poster bed to give myself a challenge.

“I’ve used a metal lathe before, so the transition between that and the wood lathe is not that big so it just went hand in hand.”

His projects can take between three hours and several months to complete, depending on what he is making.

Wood is not Roy’s only material of choice. Having branched out into stained glass creations five years ago he has made decorations and lampshades.

Roy, a former mechanic, and Sue wanted to learn about stained glass and did an evening course in Whitehaven.

He sources his wood mainly through word of mouth and also approaches people if he sees them working on trees.

He adds: “Usually when I hear a chainsaw I’m there. If you explain that you’re a woodturner they usually say I can take some and that it was only going to be used for firewood.

“It’s nice to see something coming from your own idea into actually being.

“It’s very satisfying having your own items at home because there’s no way you’d be able to something like them from a shop. To be able to do it myself gives me great pleasure.”

As well as stamping his own mark on his house, Roy also attends craft fairs across Cumbria and sells his work. He is planning a new venture making stained-glass mosaics.

Roy says: “It gives me a sense of worth because I’ve had to give up work to look after my wife. Having this passion keeps me in touch with strangers and members of the public.”

View source and photos.

The Windgate ITE residency is an 8-week summer program at the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia. Designed to encourage an open exchange of creative and technical innovations, the Center selects from an international pool of applicants one photojournalist, one scholar/educator, five artists, and one student artist who work in wood or wood in combination with other materials. The program culminates in an exhibition, accompanied by photos and essays documenting the residency experience. Contact: 215-923-8000, karen@centerforartinwood.org. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: December 30, 2016. More information and to apply: https://centerforartinwood.org/windgate-ite-international-residency/

EVANSVILLE COURIER & PRESS: Indiana Kentucky Illinois Woodturners help keep craft alive (11/04/2016)

There is something enticing about the silky surface and warmth of a piece of turned wood. Earthy, yet elegant; artistic but utilitarian; plain and austere or elaborately carved. Turned pieces have universal appeal. Maybe it’s rooted, simply, in the soothing round shapes all turned pieces share.

“Woodturning is a fairly broad category in terms of the types of materials you can use and the size and use of the finished pieces,” said Eric Gourieux, president of the local IKI Woodturners. “Yet it is specific because every piece is spinning on a lathe to be formed, so it must be round, or have something round in its form. When people ask me what I make, I tell them round stuff. Bowls, vases, spindles, long skinny things like pens or Harry Potter-style wands, they are always round, whether they are skinny or hollow, cupped or flat.”

At a recent IKI meeting, Gourieux demonstrated how to turn a bowl from a chunk of rough wood. About 20 members congregated at Duncan’s Woodworking in Newburgh to see the demonstration, share tips and talk about new creations.
Eric Gourieux, president of the IKI Woodturners, demonstrates

Eric Gourieux, president of the IKI Woodturners, demonstrates the technique for forming a simple turned bowl on the lathe. (Photo: Aimee Blume/Special to the Courier & Press)

Gourieux explained, later in an interview, that to begin, a turner must choose the right piece of wood — or other material, which could be acrylic or even a soft stone such as alabaster.
ADVERTISING
inRead invented by Teads

“First you choose the right wood or material for your project,” he said. “This could be wood gathered from local trees that have been damaged or cut down or a more exotic wood ordered for the purpose. We love burls because the texture and grain are very interesting; one of the fun things for me is that I often don’t know what the wood is going to look like until I start turning and getting into it. But sometimes a woodturner doesn’t want an interesting grain pattern. If they want to add a stain, burning, texturing or carving, they’ll usually choose a bland piece of wood so the pattern doesn’t take away from the finished piece.”

Bowls are probably the most commonly turned item, but they are never made from a simple cross section of a log. The interior of a log tends to be pithy, so it is not used. The bowl is formed from a fairly fresh, high-moisture chunk of wood near the outer edge of the tree and usually not with the grain running vertically, for the sake of a more interesting pattern. This chunk is roughed into a disk shape to begin and then placed on the lathe, a machine which will spin the disk on its central axis as special tools are used to carve the shape of the bowl.

Fragrant curled wood shavings piled up on the floor as Gourieux slowly peeled away slivers of wood from the exterior of his demonstration chunk to make the shape of the bowl emerge. Next, he turned the form around on the lathe and began hollowing out the center.
After the extra wood is carefully shaved away from

After the extra wood is carefully shaved away from the exterior of the bowl, the shape emerges. The center will be hollowed, and then the piece will be sanded. (Photo: Aimee Blume/Special to the Courier & Press)

Hollow items take a lot of skill to turn, he explained, especially the taller and narrower versions such as vases or anything with an opening narrower than the hollow bowl of the piece. The sides and bottoms must be of even thickness, and great care must be taken when hollowing out the centers.

“It takes a different set of tools to do hollow forms like a vase in contrast to a bowl,” Gourieux said. “It’s hard to stick something way down inside a narrow vase. We have long poles we use to get in there. I have one that’s six feet long. It can be dangerous, but I really like to make the big vases, I enjoy the process. My tallest one is 36 inches; you really have to reach down in there.”

After a piece is completely shaped, the surface is rough sanded and painted with a sealant to permit the wood to dry slowly and evenly. Some carvers place plastic wrap around the edges to keep them from drying too quickly and cracking. Only after the piece is uniformly dry can the surface be finely sanded, polished and then oiled, stained or decorated in any fashion the artist desires.
Turning can be done with materials other than wood.

Turning can be done with materials other than wood. This fanciful acrylic lidded box was made by Brian Hart. (Photo: Aimee Blume/Special to the Courier & Press)

After Gourieux’s demonstration, members unpacked the new pieces they brought to share and discuss. They brought out plain, smooth bowls and pen casings; vases; pieces with lids, knobs, and even some square elements finished after the turning process was complete. Colors ranged from the deepest walnuts to pale maple to some colorful pieces by turner Brian Hart, who specializes in small fanciful lidded boxes of mixed materials including bright acrylic, wood and metal.

IKI stands for Indiana Kentucky Illinois Woodturners, and the 60 members come from southern Illinois, Kentucky and around Evansville up to Fort Branch. The group meets once a month, has a website and newsletter and participates in various woodworking shows and other exhibits around the area. Some of Gourieuxs pieces can be found at Nance Gallery and the Evansville Museum.

“We like to support the local groups like the Evansville Arts Council so people can see what we do,” Gourieux said. “A lot of people don’t know about woodturning, and we want to get our stuff out there. Anybody who wants to come to a meeting to watch or get involved is welcome, and we really enjoy the opportunity to do demos for groups, be it a church group or school.”

View source and photos.

TAVISTOCK TIMES GAZETTE: West Devon wood turner giving doors of St Eustachius Church a new lease of life (11/04/2016)

A WEST Devon wood turner is reshaping history at Tavistock Parish Church, using wood from the building’s former oak doors.

Wood turner Eric Cockings, who has been a chorister in Tavistock for 13 years, is applying his carpentry and joinery skills to make high quality gifts from the former doors for the church bazaar at Tavistock Town Hall on Saturday, November 19.

The doors of St Eustachius’ Church, believed to be two to three hundred years old, were replaced two years ago and with no plan for them, Eric was permitted to rescue them for St Eustachius’ benefit.

Eric, whose workshop is well equipped with saws and a lathe, is crafting everything from bowls, pots and coasters, to pencil holders, egg cups and jewellery stands. Taking pride of place are his paper weights, which are inset with cast iron studs from the church doors.

Eric and his wife Sylvia moved to Tavistock in 2000 and three years later both joined the church choir. Eric, who has been a chorister since he was eight, became a founder member of Tavistock Turners and Carvers Club and is now president.

Holding the door jamb from one of the old church doors, he said: ‘I always feel it a bit of a privilege because when I turn that, I am seeing the centre of the wood that nobody has seen for perhaps three to four hundred years.’

His passion for carpentry and a life-long career as a joiner resulted from his boyhood days in the church choir. The catalyst was failing his 11-plus examination, after which he was devastated.

He said: ‘The vicar said to me “Eric, don’t let it get to you — you want to be a carpenter”. He arranged with the school that I should have extra carpentry and joinery lessons. Then I went with a local firm and learned the trade.’

Eric studied the necessary skills at Devonport College and achieved his City and Guilds in carpentry and joinery. Then, when he went into National Service, he became regimental carpenter at Grays Royal Artillery in Essex.

Back in civvy street, he decided to set up his own business in Ivybridge, going into partnership with his brother. Since Eric retired, it is being run by his and Sylvia’s son Mark.

Eric and Sylvia met in the choir at Ivybridge when he was 16 and she was 14. They have been married for 58 years and still enjoy singing together as tenor and alto at St Eustachius’ Choir.

View source and photos.

TIMES RECORDER: Knells: Husband and wife chosen as artists of the month (11/02/2016)

There are two Knells, Marilyn and Myron, showing works as November’s ArtCoz artists of the month at Signature M Studio in Room 101 at the Masonic Temple , 38 N. Fourth St. Words can be view from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday during the monthly Art Walk.

Best known as a long time local gastroenterologist, Myron Knell has found a passion for woodworking in retirement. He’s been retired for five years and woodworking has become more than a past time during that period for him, with travel and five grandsons all filling the hours.

“I’ve been doing woodworking for probably 40 years. I’ve always been fascinated by wood turning,” he said. “Wilbur Mock was my mentor and he got me started with wood turning. I just enjoy it so much that it has become a passion. People talk about having a passion and it really is for me.”

Showing an intricately patterned bowl formed from exotic woods, Myron explained, “Most wood turners start with making a solid wood bowl and I liked that but you are kind of limited on the possibilities just doing that. I started doing segmented bowls and that really fascinates me.”

The one he held had 343 pieces of wood put together. Myron said one gets tired of doing the same thing all the time so you have to graduate and try to something new.

I really enjoy contrasting different species of wood and making different designs. It is almost limitless,” he continued. “I enjoy making the medallions for the bottoms. I love the feel of wood, the smell of it and having the sawdust fly.”

Marilyn Knell began painting after she and Myron built a new house.

“We had a lot of blank wall space. So I started throwing paint around and trying abstracts. It was a lot of fun but it didn’t really go anywhere,” she said. “I started taking lessons with Linda Regula and she helped me find my voice. I found that I loved painting animals and I still do.”

Marilyn started doing realistic animals, with the goal to get them as lifelike looking as possible. Now, she’s trying more abstract figures while trying to elicit the same emotion and message.

Although she paints from her own heart and mind, Marilyn prefers for people seeing her work to see what they need to see.

“I hope my audience sees whatever they want to see. I try not to influence that. Sometimes they will see something that I didn’t necessarily intend and that’s alright,” she said. “Whatever they see is fine. That’s what pleases them when they see that way.”

Marilyn also paints pet portraits and this work has moved her to try new works featuring children, as well as the abstracts.

“It was hard for me to get to the abstract. I’m more comfortable doing the more realistic pieces. Those you just go and do. The abstract has to be planned better. I like it when it comes out,” she said. “I don’t have a ‘what’s next’ yet. I don’t think I’ll ever go away from animals being central to my work. There’s a message I’m trying to pound across. The animals I paint have families just like us. You can see so much in their eyes.”

View source and photos.

WAUSAU DAILY HERALD: Woodturners teach middle school students art (10/26/2016)

Students involved in the Boys & Girls Club at the D.C. Everest Middle School had an opportunity to learn the art of woodworking from members of the Wisconsin Valley Woodturners.

Bob Stavran, a retired DCE teacher, started the woodturning program four years ago. This summer, the four instructors were Bob Stavran, Tony Kopchinski, Mike Banderob and Pat Peckham. Members of the Woodturners worked with students about four days a week.

The 39 students who participated in the woodturning lessons created more than 60 handmade items, including pens, whistles, flower vases and magic wands.

“We helped the students make simple things to get them started in woodturning,” Kopchinski said. “And we’d help them with their requests — one student wanted to create a wooden football; another made a mallet; and others made decorative items like mushrooms or acorns — whatever they could imagine.”

One memory in particular stands out for Kopchinski.

“One of the students told us how much her grandfather loved woodworking and that she wanted to learn as well. Her wheelchair prevented her from reaching the lathe, so Mike and I customized a tool that changed the angle of the lathe and adapted it to her reach,” he said. “Watching her complete her woodturning projects was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever seen.”

The Wisconsin Valley Woodturners meet monthly to discuss woodturning, plan fundraising projects for the community, host woodturning demos and share techniques and advice. In winter, the Woodturners work with students every other Thursday at the Boys & Girls Club in downtown Wausau.

 

View source and photos.

David Heim Connecticut	Greg Schramek North Carolina	Molly Goodfellow Winton Washington

 

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to announce the results of the 2016 election for the Board of Directors.

Please join me in congratulating:

• David Heim
• Greg Schramek, and
• Molly Goodfellow Winton.  

Each has been elected to serve a three-year term on the AAW Board of Directors beginning on January 2, 2017. A total of 815 ballots were cast, with up to three votes allowed on each ballot, which yielded 2,117 votes. View auditor’s statement of results.

I would like to acknowledge and thank all of the candidates. Each has dedicated countless hours to the AAW in various volunteer roles and I encourage you to join me in expressing our appreciation for their past and future service to our membership.  

Greg Schramek
President AAW Board of Directors

WAYNE POST: Hornsmith, leatherworker to speak at historical society meeting (10/19/2016)

Erwin Tschanz, a master hornsmith and journeyman leatherworker, will speak at the Town of Ontario Historical and Landmark Preservation Society’s general dinner meeting starting at 6 p.m. Nov. 9 at the North Ontario United Methodist Church, 7200 Ontario Center Road, Ontario.

Tschanz assisted in forming a re-enactment unit of the Brigade of the American Revolution for the bicentennial. He started making horn, bone and leather items at that time.

He is a member of the Rochester Woodworkers’ Guild, Finger Lakes Woodturners and the American Association of Woodturners. His work has been selected for inclusion in the Early American Life Directory of American Craftsmen for the past four years, and is represented in the re-enacting community both in the U.S. and abroad.

Bring a dish to pass and table service for the meeting’s dinner at 6 p.m. The business meeting will be at 7 p.m. and Tschanz’s presentation will start at 7:45 p.m.

View source and video.