July 21, 2005
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Wood
wizards
by JUDITH LEHMAN
HOW DO YOU MAKE A WOODEN BOWL
our of a hunk of wood? I got my answer at the recent College
of the Redwoods WoodFair at Redwood Acres. Woodturner Jerry Kermode
demonstrated just that. The process was fascinating. As a crowd
gathered to watch him work his magic, he used his lathe and beveled
gouges to begin a bowl, making it look like a dance, talking
about letting the bowl come out of the wood rather than the carver
controlling the process.
"Just let it happen," his voice was hypnotic
as he described the steps he was taking. There was some Zen philosophy
thrown in, as well as relaxing breathing and a gentle touch from
a teacher who inspired with his words.
The WoodFair included vendors,
demonstrations, wood club booths and an art gallery with numerous
bowls and boxes. Among them, many beautiful boxes that let the
shape of the wood form them with just the wood grain to decorate
them and items made with purple heart wood that actually had
a violet hue. Wayne Roe's bowls were so finely turned it seems
they might be translucent.
Several furniture makers exhibited
custom furniture each with its own special style and beauty.
Steve Hanlon of Ferndale collected quite a crowd admiring his
magnificent canopy bed, the centerpiece of his display. Inlaid
with copper discs and gem-like stones, as well as delicate geometric
trim work forming decorative patterns, the bed was an intricate
and involved work of art. You could lie in that bed and never
run out of things to look at. That bed was an event.
There was a Palco booth with
literature about sustainable lumbering. I felt a pang of guilt
about my love of wood. It always seems a living breathing entity
to me. Once it is harvested and turned into a utilitarian object
or a beautiful piece of art, I continue to enjoy its warmth and
beauty. Yet a tree is cut down to create this beauty.
I want to believe that new trees
are being planted to replace those cut. Throughout the wood fair
the woodworkers had commentary about the importance of sustainable
forestry and it is a serious issue to those creating from wood.
Use of fallen timber and boycotting use of endangered rainforest
wood seems a common practice.
A juried gallery exhibition
held the WoodFair prizewinners. A wonderful work of whimsy by
Myron Leven called "Wizard at Work" was my favorite.
A wizard's hat formed out of purple heartwood held several three
dimensional balls carved with openings that revealed objects
within the balls. A small black gorilla greeted viewers at the
entrance. I almost passed it by, but when I noticed the title,
"C.E.O.," Rip Kirby's gorilla made me smile. A huge
"Sequoia Semper Violin" (Monstrument) by John Wiebe,
resembling a violin for a giant also brought a smile. I would
have plucked its strings, but there were signs everywhere admonishing,
"Look but don't touch". Frustrated, I controlled the
urge to reach out.
Each piece in the show had its
own appeal. I was personally drawn to the cradle made in the
shape of a dory by Jacob Fuller and Trevor Dewell. A photo of
Fuller's son who slept in it his first four months, rested in
the bottom. Anders Whealdon made a shrine of elegant beauty with
an Asian influence for his mother, a lucky woman.
A charming bird flock of six
"Little Bee Eaters," beautifully carved and brightly
painted were as much fun as going to the pet store and watching
the budgies frolic and play. The artist Gloria Dinsmore noted
that she saw them on a trip to Botswana. Another viewer commented,
"What do you do if you make a mistake? Do you have to start
over?" Maybe six birds become five.
The "Best of Show"
winner was a "Magic Box" by Annette Koehren, inlaid
with a squared pattern that took a tilt in the middle. It appeared
to have no entrance, but magnetic catches opened with a brass
key, also made by the artist, reveal another tilt, as each side
held triangular shelves and one shelf with sides that swung out
on a hinge. The box held its own mystery.
Throughout the show, woodworkers
in attendance spoke about the creative process of woodworking
being a Zen-like experience. The wood speaks to the artist, who
serves as a channel for the forms he creates. It also seems that
more women are getting involved with the art of wood and I am
ready to join their ranks and have my own Zen experience. These
woodworkers are having a good time creating their works. I'm
ready to start my purple heartwood bowl.
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