Work must be created at least in part on the lathe. All AAW members are eligible and encouraged to apply. Entries will be accepted online from November 1, 2016 through February 1, 2017. Two artist awards will be given during the 2017 AAW International Symposium: a Masters’ Choice Award of $300 and a People’s Choice Award of $200. Entry Fee: $30 for up to three submissions. More information.

Invitational exhibition of small scale works. Application period: November 1, 2016 to January 1, 2017. Enter images of up to three pieces for consideration. The upper size limit is 6” x 6” x 6” (20.3 cm). There is no lower size limit. A statement relating the work to the theme is required. Application Fee: $30. More information.

 

CLARION-LEDGER: It’s My Job: Woodworker (08/02/2016)

My name is Steve Windham, and I’m a woodworking craftsman and the owner of Windham’s Woodworks in Brandon. I create a variety of decorative and kitchen items out of cherry, walnut, oak and maple wood. I’m a fellow member of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi and a member of the  American Association of Woodturners. My products can be found online at MississippiSpoon.etsy.com.

My father introduced me to woodworking when I was 10 years old. The first thing I made was a bird house, then a dog house. He taught me the basics of woodworking. Back then, we all had nothing but hand tools, no machines. I didn’t like to be defeated, so I worked at it until I got it right.

I graduated from St. Joe High School in Jackson in 1973, and worked for my mother’s business, Steve’s Auto Parts in Jackson, for 32 years. She opened her shop in 1968, and was a very smart woman. She knew all about the mechanics part of it and was very good at the business part, too. She told me the best way to get new customers is to keep the customers you’ve already got, and they’ll spread the word.

In 1994 we moved the auto parts business to Byram, then sold it in 2004 to Napa Auto Parts. That’s when I turned back to what I really loved, doing woodworking full time.

After we sold the business, I built a new house for my wife and me, and designed it so we live upstairs and my woodworking business is downstairs. I later built another shop for my woodturning.

I used to do furniture and outdoor benches, but now it’s wood turnings, bowls, peppermills and, of course, wooden spoons. The spoons have always been my best seller. Each spoon takes about two to three hours to make, and I do pretty close to 1,500 to 2,000 each year. My bowls are also popular. I make dough bowls — some people call them biscuit bowls; and salad bowls, which can be used for just about anything. I also sell a lot of cutting boards. Everything is food-safe.

I work seven days a week. On a typical day, I show up about 7 a.m., take off for lunch around 11:30, go back to work about 1 p.m., and work until around 5 or 6 — sometimes two or three hours longer if I need to finish a project.

I try to break my work up, so I may work on spoons for two weeks, then cutting boards for a while, then bowls and peppermills. I try to build a pretty good inventory, especially for the holidays.

Including the Jackson Farmer’s Market in the summer, I participate in about 35 or 40 shows each year in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Among those are the Gumtree Festival in Tupelo; Double Decker Arts Festival in Oxford; Crosstie Arts and Jazz Festival in Cleveland; Jubilee Festival in Daphne, Alabama; Three Rivers Art Festival in Covington, Louisiana; Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs; Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival in Natchitoches, Louisiana; the Arts and Crafts Festival in Fairhope, Alabama.

In the Jackson area, I always do the Chimneyville Crafts Festival and Handworks Holiday Market in Jackson.

Through the years, I’ve won numerous awards for my work at several of these festivals, including those in Tupelo, Oxford, Cleveland, Daphne and more. My work has been written about in the eat. drink. MISSISSIPPI magazine; AmericanStyle Magazine; Magnolia State of Mind magazine and Ridgeland Life magazine.

My work is also on exhibit at The Growth Alliance in West Point; the Meridian Council for the Arts and the Mississippi Crafts Center in Ridgeland. In 2007 two pieces were taken to Japan and given as gifts to the CEOs of Toyota and Nissan.

The thing I enjoy most about my work is coming up with an idea and building it, and seeing if the customers like it enough to buy it.

The biggest challenge about my work is getting up in the morning — but once I’m up, I’m gone!

View source and photos.

BRISBANE TIMES: Making the most of time as internet teaches old dogs new tricks (07/31/2016)

Bob Webb will be 79 in October, runs a wood turner’s website, makes electronic clocks, has learnt computer coding and has a cheeky sense of humour.

But the retired Ormiston wood turner, former shearer and air telecommunications employer says it is still never too late to learn something new.

He has built 11 beautifully hand-turned wooden clocks after learning new skills via the internet.

Mr Webb is one of the internet’s late bloomers and says it has simply added so much to the life he started in Perth 78 years ago.

He shifted around the country as his father, a bank manager, was transferred from town to town.

“I left school at 15, was shearing at 16 and in the RAAF by 17,” Mr Webb says from his Ormiston home.
Advertisement

He spent many long years working in the forerunner of the Civil Aviation Authority, then the Civil Aviation Authority itself, before finding he did not “see eye to eye” with aviator and entrepreneur Dick Smith when he was appointed to run the aviation body in 1990.

Viewo source and photos.

Mr Webb eventually took early retirement and began to explore.

But he credits the internet as giving him a fourth-lease on life; after his schooling, his career, his earlier retirement and his new life today as a clockmaker.

He already had an interest in wood turning but began to wonder if he could learn how to make electric clocks.

“And that led me further down the path of the internet,” he said. “In the past 10 years, I have learnt so much; electronics, coding.”

“I’m a member of the Sydney Clockmakers Society now. And there’s a few smart people in that, let me tell you… but if it hadn’t been for the internet, I wouldn’t have been doing any of this.

“It is just an extraordinary tool.”

Mr Webb runs the  Bayside Woodturner’s website, co-ordinating the activities of its 140 members and telling their stories.

He has built his 11th clock, all the internal fittings, the brass wheels and gears, the electronics to make them run and turned and shaped the external timberwork.

“I call it Clock 11. I can’t figure out anything else to call them,” he laughed.

“So I just call them by numbers.”

Mr Webb said he wanted to encourage older Australians to use the internet to continue to learn.

He learned computer coding after his son started the Bayside Woodturners website and told his Dad to “get stuck in.”

“So I did.”

He wants to encourage other “older blokes” to have a second look at the internet to learn new things.

“If there are other old blokes that you come into contact with, and their backs are too sore to play golf or whatever… they will be able to use my webpage – and the free advice from me – you can get stuck in and make yourself a clock.”

Sure, you need the patience, he concedes.

But you don’t need to be a scientist or engineering expert to do it, he insists.

“You just need someone down at street level who can simplify it.”

Clock 11 is made from WA Jarrah with featured camphor, and has a simple hours and minutes electromagnetic movement with the timing provided by a clock crystal which is controlled by an integrated Circuit (IC 12f683).

View source and photos.

IDAHO STATE JOURNAL: Local artist woodturning to be featured by Seattle art show (07/30/2016)

 

Nathan Hemperly of Pocatello was quite surprised to hear that the “Best of Northwest Art Show” in Seattle has selected one of his pieces to be used in the show’s media and marketing campaign.

His piece entitled “Metropolis” can bee seen on the nwartalliance.org website as well as other advertising items that will be promoting the show which takes place November 11-13 in Seattle.

Closer to home, Hemperly who is a member of the Pocatello Art Center and Eagle Rock Art Guild of Idaho Falls will be participating in the Sagebrush Festival, September 10-11 with his beautiful and unique woodturnings. The Sagebrush Festival is put together by the Pocatello Arts Center and takes place on the ISU campus during the hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The community’s support of the festival is greatly appreciated.

Fine events such as the Sagebrush Festival here in Pocatello and Best of Northwest in Seattle feature many wonderful and creative artists from all over the country.

View source and photos.

CALL: Society for Contemporary Craft – LEAP Award for Exceptional Emerging Talent

The LEAP Award recognizes exceptional emerging talent in the contemporary craft field and provides opportunities for these early career artists to bring their artwork to the consumer market. The yearlong retail program features, markets and sells the work of one winner, who also receives a $1000 prize, and 6 finalists. Artists must work in craft media: ceramics, wood, metal/jewelry glass, found materials, mixed media, fiber or a combination of these materials. Application deadline: September 30, 2016. Entry fee: $25. More information and to apply: http://contemporarycraft.org/store/leap-award/. Questions? Megan Crowell at mcrowell@contemporarycraft.org or 412-261-7003

INDEPENDENT TRIBUNE: ClearWater Artist Studios hosts “Artistry in Woodturning” exhibit with Saturday, July 30 kickoff  (07/27/2016)

Southern Piedmont Woodturners will be exhibiting their work at ClearWater Artist Studios with the “Artistry in Woodturning” exhibit, which will be on display July 30 through Aug. 27.

The exhibit will be on display in the main gallery at ClearWater Artist Studios, Crowell Drive NW, 28025 in Concord.
click here

The Opening Reception for “Artistry in Woodturning” is 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 30. At 2 p.m. that same day there will be an Artist Talk discussion by Charles Farrar, noted local artist and curator of the current show, “Shaping the Vessel,” at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Culture + Art.

“Artistry in Woodturning” will feature 60-some turned works by members of the Southern Piedmont Woodturners.

The Southern Piedmont Woodturners Studio and the ClearWater Gallery will be open each Saturday in August, 11a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature turning demonstrations.

Also, on Aug. 13 ClearWater Artist Studios will be feature their 2nd Saturday Open Studios series which will have other resident artists at ClearWater participate in the open studio series. There are 16 total resident artists and artists will have studios open while they work and be available for questions. The 2nd Saturday Open Studios series will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 13.

The Southern Piedmont Woodturners, Inc., whose club is housed at ClearWater Artist Studios is well-known within the community. The organization works with local schools, Hospice, 4-H and Boy Scouts, introducing and teaching this art form.

View source and photos.

SCTIMES: Art sought for upcoming “Turning Trees” exhibit (07/27/2016)

The Paramount Center for the Arts is partnering with multiple organizations to offer calls for art for upcoming exhibitions.

The organization has partnered with the Mid Minnesota Association of Woodturners and the American Association of Woodturners for the “Turning Trees” exhibit, which will be open Nov. 25 to Jan. 15.

“We’re hoping to bring attention to woodworking as an art form. They’re doing some really fabulous work,” said Melissa Gohman of the Paramount.

Artists are able to submit up to three entries for the juried show, and photographs of work can be uploaded online. The cost is $30 for members of the woodworking organizations for up to three entries and $40 for nonmembers. A limited number of oversize pieces (those with a combined length and girth of more than 108 inches) will be accepted. Strong preference will be given to pieces made of woods native to Minnesota. Wood must have been turned on the lathe, and pieces must have been produced in the last two years. The deadline for entries is Aug. 1 in this statewide call for art.

To find out more and to submit work go to: http://bit.ly/2a6xn0K.

The Paramount Center for the Arts is also partnering with St. Cloud State University for its first St. Cloud State Alumni show. The show will be held at Gallery St. Germain from Aug. 24 to Sept. 24. The deadline for submissions is Aug. 1.

“It’s a really wonderful way to engage the alumni back into the art department,” Gohman said.

The show is an extension of SCSU’s efforts to be involved in the community. This is a natural extension of the partnership between SCSU and the Paramount, which has been exhibiting the work of more professors, Gohman said. The Paramount offers work-study programs for students, and it works with a number of SCSU interns.

The exhibit is a partnership of the St. Cloud State University School of the Arts, in conjunction with the SCSU Alumni Association, Paramount Center for the Arts and the Southside University Neighborhood Association.

The art call is open to all SCSU grads, not just those in the art department. Any and all art mediums will be accepted into the juried show. Those accepted into the show will receive notice by Aug. 9 and works will need to be on site by Aug. 19. There will be a reception for the show from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 16.

Artists may submit up to three images of work. The application cost is $30 and cash prizes will be awarded.

 

View source.

VALLEY NEWS: Three Temecula woodworkers win Design in Wood categories at San Diego County Fair (07/19/2016)

The category winners in the San Diego County Fair’s Design in Wood contest included Temecula craftsmen William Bardick, Pete Campbell and Robert Kerr.

Bardick was awarded first place in the Contemporary Woodworking – Furniture category. Campbell took first place in the Wood Turning – Face Work: Perpendicular to the Ways of the Lathe class. Kerr had the highest-placing Clocks entry.

Bardick’s creation was titled “Six Drawers & a Mirror.” The six drawers are part of a dresser with the mirror on top. The dresser was made from mahogany, maple and purpleheart wood.

Campbell won his first-place award for “Burley McBurlface,” which used maple burl. Burl is twisted or curled grain. Normally a hole is drilled in the top to hollow out the wood for crafting. Campbell turned the burl, which also had a natural hole on the side, into a sphere. If the burl sphere is solid other than the hole on the top it can be used as a vase or liquid container.

Kerr’s clock was titled “Arts & Crafts Mantel Clock.” It is made of red oak and walnut and has a clock on the top half and a color design on the bottom half.

Bardick and Kerr had one entry apiece. Campbell entered three pieces in the San Diego County Fair exhibit. “Jade” was also entered in the Wood Turning – Face Work: Perpendicular to the Ways of the Lathe category and the maple burl sphere was given an honorable mention ribbon. Campbell took fourth place in the Wood Turning – Center Work: Parallel to the Ways of the Lathe class for “Pino Colada,” which is an oblique spheroid with a hole on top and was made from pine wood.

Temecula woodworker Kyle Toth entered “The Torus” in the Wood Turning – Laminated/Segmented class and was given second place for his ring which was made of bocote and ash. He also was given honorable mention distinction in Contemporary Woodworking – Furniture for “Mandela Dining Table,” which is made of ash and black dyed veneer and is a round dining table with a round base. Toth did not place in the Contemporary Woodworking – Accessories category for “Mirage,” which is a mirror with a zebra wood and black dyed veneer frame.

Antonio Barrios of San Jacinto had two entries in the Wood Carving – Human Form class. Barrios received fourth place for “Dragon Soldier.” which is a statue of a soldier in a dragon helmet. Barrios was awarded an honorable mention ribbon for “Julia the Dragon Killer,” which is an image of a girl with dragon armor. Both of Barrios’ displays were made from bass wood.

Mark Jones of Temecula had the third-place Wood Turning – Laminated/Segmented product; “Sisters (pair)” consists of two platters and is from walnut, maple and birch. Jones also had two entries which did not place. “Cut It Thin to Win” was in the Wood Turning – Face Work: Perpendicular to the Ways of the Lathe class and is a rectangular dish with a round depressed storage area made from cocobolo wood. “A Ring of Honor” was entered in the Wood Tuning – Embellished/Mixed Media category and utilized elm for a bowl.

The Design in Wood entries also included a padauk, purpleheart and maple vase created by Temecula 18-year-old Nathan Botello, although “The Carnival” did not place in the Wood Turning – Laminated/Segmented category.

View source.

PASTE: Searching for Enlightenment at Every Brewery in Minnesota (07/14/2016)

Minnesota’s 56 Brewing is an off-sale production brewery in one of the shittiest industrial enclaves in Northeast Minneapolis. It’s no one’s idea of a sanctuary. Most people out sunning themselves on the astro-turf patio are there for a run of samples and a souvenir pint glass, but not Katelyn Regenscheid. Over the past year, she’s discovered that there’s much more to be tapped at your local brewery than just the beer.

Namely, spiritual awakening. She’s come to 56 to find her next barstool Aristotle.

A graduate of St. Olaf College in 2015, Regenscheid was searching for purpose when she founded Beer & Life, a blog that follows the Anoka, Minn., native as she journeys to every brewery in her home state to collect advice from the strangers she encounters. So far, she’s visited 33 of the state’s 110-plus beer-makers, collecting life-affirming nuggets like “live for the story” and “say yes more often.” But what she hasn’t elucidated is why she’s seeking this wisdom in breweries.

“There’s something about the beer world that is just so human,” Regenscheid tells me over a sampling of 56’s NE Nectar. “A brewer puts their life and their personality into the beer. It’s a natural place for life stories to intersect.”

Regenscheid is not a beer expert, and her entries on Beer & Life are not critique. The blog is less of a beer nerd’s journal and more of a wistful travelogue — a glimpse into the developing life of an affable beer drinker determined to write the Tao of the brewery.

katelyn regenscheid long.jpg
Kate Regenscheid in 56 Brewing

It was her full-time job as a social media marketing consultant that got her (as someone who’d visited fewer than five breweries in her life) interested in the beer world. After working with Rochester’s Forager Brewing, she became enamored with the cooperative, creative environment breweries offered. She was also struck by the sheer number of good stories she got from the people who worked there. So she started toying with the idea of pilgrimaging to every corner of the state to see if it held up.

“I don’t know what the hell made me decide it was a good idea to go to every craft brewery in the state,” she says. “But I said I was gonna do it enough times that I was like, ‘Well, you can’t not do it now.’ So, I found a WordPress theme, and started working.”

Regenscheid and her boyfriend went to two breweries the night she decided to start the site. The first was South Minneapolis newcomer LynLake Brewery. There, she probed a beer-tender named Wes, who with very little prompting, opened up to her about his life philosophy. “Drinking beer in moderation,” he told her, preaching his personal dogma of responsible indulgence. “Drink great beer in moderation,” he told her. The experience eclipsed all her expectations.

“The process of people giving advice, it’s a really good reminder that everyone has a story,” she says. “Their lens for viewing the world is so different than mine. I try to let this process inform how I see other people.”

Beer-tenders are a frequent source of advice for Regenscheid, though she’s polled everyone from head brewers to fellow patrons for their guidance. So far, only one brewhouse philosopher has failed to understand exactly what’s at hand.

Regenscheid has seen the malaise and disenchantment of post-college life. Even though she’s got a good job and an apartment, she knows that 22 is the age where most people trade their optimism for the cynicism that defines the business world. It’s easy to shut yourself out to the random enlightenment of your surroundings and call it realism, and that’s the snare that Beer & Life was built to avoid.

“Something I’ve been learning as a post-grad adult is that it’s really important to be willing to be open,” she says, finishing another in a line of samples. “Otherwise, you end up having a lot of really fake conversations. That’s just dumb. I don’t wanna have a life like that.”

Beer & Life has taught Regenscheid plenty of micro-lessons like that. The motto “begin before you don’t,” given to her by a barkeep named Emily at Able Seedhouse & Brewery, is something she’s incorporated into her personal dogma, and she’s readjusted her comfort zone to encompass everyone from Uber drivers to the head of the American Association of Woodturners. But the blog isn’t necessarily for her own benefit. It’s a way for Regenscheid to make sure that the wisdom she extracts can find it’s way to anyone else who might think a barroom is no place to get into polemics.

“Life ain’t perfect, but 56 is.” That’s the bumper sticker philosophy Regenscheid gets from 56 Brewing CTO Joe Wirth. A near-perfect number, 56 is a symbol that’s followed Wirth his whole life. He’s built his brewery on fate and serendipity, he says, offering Regenscheid a platitude about throwing yourself into your vocation and surrendering to destiny.

Regenscheid smiles and nods along, taking the note down in her phone. She knows there are still more than 80 more stops across 86,000 square miles before she’s done, but in that moment, it feels like a point of completion.

The original story included an error about an employee of LynLake battling alcoholism. The error has been corrected. We regret the mistake.

View source and photos.