Turning Green

American Association of Woodturners

Turning Green

Turning GreenAmerican Association of Woodturners

2007 Exhibition

Premiering at the Oregon College of Art & CraftPortland, Oregon

June 28–July 20, 2007

American Association of Woodturners GallerySt. Paul, Minnesota

September 14–December 14, 2007

“Turning Green” is the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) 2007 themed

exhibition. After premiering at the Oregon College of Art & Craft in Portland, the

exhibit will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota, where it will be featured at the AAW

Gallery the latter part of 2007. Considering the lush countryside around Portland,

as well as recognizing that places a high priority and emphasis on green living and

protecting the environment, the “Turning Green” theme seemed very appropriate

for this exhibition.

The exhibit consists of 40 juried pieces, work from 11 invited artists, plus creations

from the three show jurors. In looking over the 120 juried pieces that were

submitted and the accompanying commentary, one thing that struck me was the

deep environmental sensitivity many turners expounded upon. There were outlooks

that ranged from a very fervent concern to a cynical and dire prediction about the

effect mankind is having on the natural environment. Working with salvaged wood

and timber rather than using trees from our forests was also a strong component of

the show. Of course, there were some pieces turned from wet (green) unseasoned

wood that obviously changed dramatically as the wood dried out. Then, there were

some entries that worked playfully around the color green.

It seems to me that each year the level of originality and creativity in our exhibits

goes up a notch. I find this exciting for the current display, as well as looking

forward with anticipation to what future shows will provide.

I would like to offer a special note of thanks to the Oregon College of Art & Craft

for hosting the exhibit, the jurors who judged the entries, and of course all those

who entered work and participated in this outstanding display.

Bill Haskell

Exhibitions Committee Chair

Charles Benson 6

Marco Berera 7

Christian Burchard 8

Kevin Burris 9

Jim Burrowes 10

Leonard Byrd 11

Francisco Clemente 12

Tom Crabb 14

Barbara Crockett 15

J. Paul Fennell 16

Melvyn Firmager 17

Mark Gardner 18

Dewey Garrett 19

Cliff Guard 21

Bob Hadley 22

Michael Hampel 23

Stephen Hatcher 25

Tim Heil 26

Al Hockenbery 27

John Jordan 28

Neil Kagan 29

Ed Kelle 31

Glenn Krueg 32

Alan Lacer 33

Dale Larson 34

Normand Lavoie 35

Kristin LeVier 36

Robin Liles 37

Bill Luce 38

E. Lundburg 39

Mike Mahoney 40

Alain Mailland 41

James McClure 42

Mary McKinney 43

William Moore 44

John Noffsinger 45

Craig Nutt 46

Pascal Oudet 47

Ross Paterson 48

George Peterson 49

Gary Pollard 50

Sterling Sanders 51

Heidi Schwegler 52

Curt Theobald 53

Bill Tilson 54

Gerrit Van Ness 55

Derek Weidman 56

John Williams 57

Helga Winter 58

Malcolm Zander 59

Jury Statements 60

Contents

6

Charles BensonSpokane, WA

This vessel, made from a dead apricot treeand recovered wood, is a multi-axis hollow-form intersected with another hollow form.It was turned, hollowed, carved, shaped,steam bent and embellished with acrylics.All glues, wood-fillers, and finishes are waterbased. The final finish is a water-baselacquer Crystalac. No CFC’s anywhere.

This piece depicts the importance of ozoneprotection. The stratospheric ozone layer isthe earth’s natural protection for all lifeforms, shielding our planet from harmfulultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. UV-B radiationis harmful to humans, animals, and plantlife. This destructive radiation is credited fordamaging our hardwood forests andphytoplankton (part of the ocean foodchain). The ozone layer is being damaged(ozone holes) and depleted by our use ofcertain chemicals including refrigerants,halons, and certain crop pesticides (CFC’S—chlorofluorocarbons).

This work shows the fiery radiationpenetrating our damaged stratosphericozone layer and destroying our green earthbelow. The green earth is depicted on theopposite side. The solar flames on the topdemonstrate the need for this protectivelayer.

OzoneApricot, cherry, and maple

9” x 4”

7

Marco BereraRichmond, BC, Canada

Pollution of our water bodies is a seriousenvironmental problem. This sculpturedepicts fish fighting for a clean environmentwith the rough inside depicting the pollutionthey encounter and the clear plastic basethe clean water for which they and we long.

Something FishyAlder firewood, turned and sectioned; base turned(recycled plastic aircraft window), inside lower sec-tion and opening textured and airbrushed

11” x 6” x 4.5”

8

Christian BurchardAshland, OR

For the last couple of years I have beenusing pieces of green madrone root to turnopen vessel forms in my White Basketsseries. During the harvest of madrone burlfor veneer, the bottom sections of theseburls, the root systems, are discarded andtaken to the landfill. It is hard to findsections large enough to turn (andhopefully free of dirt and rocks), there is alot of waste (and dull chain saws, etc.), but Iam intrigued by the unpredictability ofturning this material. Shrinkage is up to25%, sometimes more. The final form isdictated by a myriad of grain directions, rootconnections, and stress patterns. Toemphasize this, I remove all color throughbleaching, like in black and whitephotography, to show the essence of thismaterial—the spirit within.

White BasketBleached madrone root

10” x 11”

9

Kevin Burris Portland, OR

One of the most important aspects of mywork is the use of magazines. The magazinehas gone through a metamorphosis startingas wood, processed into a magazine, andnow used as a substitute for wood withinmy sculptures. In a sense, it is arepresentation of the past and presentmaterials that have been combined into onesculptural object. The addition of themagazine helps to break up the woodsculpture and helps create aestheticallypleasing lines using the bound and printedimages and information. These lines ofpaper tell stories, and document cultures.Although we cannot access it physically onceit is incorporated into a sculpture, we canimagine what the pages might contain andmake up our own stories.

Movement Series #14National Geographic magazines, wood, and paint

10” x 12” x 10”

10

Jim BurrowesNew Carlisle, OH

These candlesticks were turned from asingle yellow pine 2” x 4” board that wasleft over from the construction of my newshop/gallery. I hope that woodturnersgenerally make efficient use of our preciousforest resources by using materials thatwould otherwise be discarded or burned.

Leftovers Yellow pine, turned on multi-axis between centers

15.5” x 3.5” x 3.5”

11

Leonard ByrdPhoenix, AZ

This bowl was made from OSB that wasrecycled from a multi-home building project.

Untitled #3 Laminated and turned oriented strandboard (OSB)

4.5” x 7.5” x 7.5”

12

Francisco ClementeHonolulu, HI

As a building contractor and cabinet maker, Ialways have scrap pieces of Baltic birch leftover from constructing cabinet drawers. Thispiece was made from scraps that otherwisewould have ended up in the dumpster.

Gota de LavaBaltic birch plywood scraps, turned and carved

27” x 7” x 7”

13

Francisco ClementeHonolulu, HI

This vessel was made out of pieces of OSBscraps found on the construction site. OSB isa material that is used in construction towrap walls and floors; thus, there are lots ofscrap pieces that end up going to the dump.In finishing the piece, metal powder wasused to fill the crevices.

Pau OpalaOSB (oriented strandboard) scraps, turned, carved,and oiled

15” x 9” x 9”

14

Tom CrabbRichmond, VA

This piece suggests that the relationshipbetween man and nature should be anintimate dance of style and grace – theTango, a dance without stepping on eachothers toes. The Tango represents growthand renewal while using each other forexpression. This limb material, which usuallyends up in the landfill, was put to good usehere.

TangoCherry and hackberry, turned hollow forms, steam

bent

8.5” x 7” x 4”

15

Barbara CrockettColumbus, OH

The piece of wood in this turning was froma very large tree that was bulldozed on landthat was being cleared to make way for anew housing development. The fallen treerevealed wonderful curl and color that hadbeen hidden inside for decades. The backhoe operator saw the beauty in thismajestic old tree and called us before it hadto be shoveled off to the landfill. About 50turning blanks were rescued from this treethat day.

Rescued BeautyCurly box elder, turned green, bleached, and finishedwith water based polyurethane

8” x 9” x 9”

16

J. Paul FennellScottsdale, AZ

The neon tubing—representing the flowerstems—is energized at the ends concealedwithin the stone. The wood elements—leaves at the base and tubular flowerforms—are turned, carved and bleached toappear white and lifeless. The stone, acommon hard, smooth granite cobble hasdrilled holes to accept the leaves and neontubing. A supporting pedestal houses thetransformers and wiring. Once energized,the stems glow a blood-red up into theflower calyx, causing the flower forms toglow because of their translucency. Theeffect is that blood is being drawn out of thestone by the stems to nourish the flowers.“Blood” is also seen oozing from the base ofthe leaves, within the leaf veins, anddripping off the pistils of the flowers. All ofthe elements are from recycled materialsexcept the electrical components.

This piece was created as a metaphoremphasizing the extreme difficulty in unitingthe global community to deal with theimplications of climate changes due tohuman activity.

The implied metaphor involves blood beingused in the surreal manner of sustaining aflower, eliciting a false sense of well-being,even with the knowledge that it isimpossible to extract it from an inorganic,sterile object such as a stone. Thisemphasizes the proclivity of mankind toignore or trivialize negative global trends,either by procrastinating or by falselyassuming that new technologies will arrive intime to solve the problem.

Blood from a StoneWood, stone, and luminous neontubing

16” x 10” x 8”

17

Melvyn FirmagerWedmore, Somerset, England

Eucalyptus is a very unstable wood whenwet, and changes shape as it dries. Thispiece has a green perspective from the useof wet wood; the wavy rims that representnature in all it’s myriad forms; and the useof a fallen domestic tree that wouldotherwise have gone to the dump or beenburned as firewood.

Sea Flower in a Shifting CurrentEucalyptus, turned off-center, stain, powder, and glue

9.5” x 7.25”

18

Mark Gardner Saluda, NC

Offering BowlMaple and paint

3.5” x 22” x 18”

where the repairs will be. One of the things Ilike about my current work is that I’ve givenup a bit of control. I have a good idea of whatthe wood is going to do and how it is goingto move, but I’m not as interested in it beingperfect (how a circle is perfect) anymore. Thispiece, unlike some of the vessels I’ve madethat are highly carved and embellished, allowsthe wood to add a bit of its natural rhythm tothe piece as it dries and warps.

bowl for this piece green, leaving it thick andallowing it to warp and crack I feel that I’mable to bring some “looseness” to the piece.Many of the pieces of Oceanic and African artI’m drawn to are utilitarian items that havebeen repaired at some point. In my work theturned form often cracks as it dries. I repairthem by inlaying butterflies over the cracks.This will insure that the crack won’t developfurther and, because I can’t control where thecracks will occur, it adds some randomness to

This piece was turned green and allowed todry and warp and crack. Once dry the crackswere repaired with butterflies inlayed overthe cracks. The pattern was drawn withpencil, carved and then painted using milkpaints, and finally, acrylic lacquer.

Most of my work has been influenced byAfrican and Oceanic art. There is a“looseness” and spontaneity to that work thatI try to incorporate in my work. By turning the

19

One of the meanings of sustainability is thecapability “to keep from falling, to uphold,and to support.” As metaphor, this worksuggests that a complex human constructionlike a city can support a natural andbeautiful resource like the maple burl turnedinto a vessel form. When we use andmanage our forests responsibly, we bothmaintain the resource and preserve the

beauty of a precious natural material. Thebowl in the piece is turned from a cylindercut from a maple burl cap; the supportingcity vessel form is made from scraps of oakwood left over from other projects butsaved to be recycled into a new piece. Thecomponents are bleached to suggest thehuman involvement in the process.

Dewey GarrettLivermore, CA

Burl in the CityMaple burl, turned and bleached;oak scraps, milled and turned,assembled and bleached

7.5” x 14” x 14”

20

Dewey GarrettLivermore, CA

PI BoxesPink ivory

2” x 3” x 3” (largest)

Pink ivory is a rare and expensive wood and Ihad saved this block for a number of years,seeking an appropriate use for it. In thinkingabout how to maximize the use of thematerial, it occurred to me that I could make anumber of boxes if I cored the wood blockseveral times and then assembled each corewith a fitted top and bottom from the samepiece of wood. I was also able to make four

little boxes from the corners of the squareblock for a total of nine boxes. This method offabrication also gave me the opportunity todecorate the sides and both the top andbottom (inside and out on the larger ones) onmy homemade ornamental turning engine.This piece illustrates how, with a little extrawork, we can minimize waste and use ourprecious material responsibly

21

Cliff GuardChesapeake, VA

From colonial times to the early 1900s,loggers cut trees from inland virgin forestsand floated them down the various rivers tosawmills in port towns such as Wilmington.Many of the logs becamesaturated/waterlogged, sank, and wereforgotten. With unlimited forests it waseasier to cut more trees than recovering thesunken logs. In recent years, The Cape FearRiverwood Corporation has been recoveringthese lost trees from the river bottom.Because the logs existed on the riverbottom in an oxygen free environment,when it was turned, it was like green wood.There was the unique smell of turpentineand the expected movement of greenwood.

Sunken Treasure Southern yellow pine (reclaimed “river wood”)

5” x 4.25”

22

Bob HadleyYorba Linda, CA

Let It Be Macadamia, “urban timber”

5” x 8” x 8”

By utilizing wood from urban street or yardtrees we help preserve the natural forests.We also can extend the life of a street treeby turning it into something interesting anduseful. So many street trees end up in

landfills. By using these otherwise discardedstreet trees instead of forest timber, we cando our part to keep the world a littlegreener a little longer.

23

Michael HampelChelan, WA

The root-burl which this wood came fromgrew in an old homestead in my town,which is currently being developed intocondominiums. Being at the right place atthe right time, I saved it from being burned.So much gets wasted in our modern daydrive for progress, speed, and efficiency,that it gives me great pleasure to usematerial that was considered waste.

Family IVEnglish walnut burl, turned green, and sand blasted

12.5” x 14.5”

24

Michael HampelChelan, WA

We share the planet with many forms oflife, but a common perception is that onlyhuman interest and welfare are worthconsidering. I believe in order for us tocontinue to survive and thrive, we have tohave a broader view of our everyday activityand how it affects the planet and all otherlife forms including ourselves. I attempt,with my work, to honor the natural worldand its many permutations. The wood forthis piece is recycled from a tree previouslydestined as waste.

It’s Not a House, It’s a HomeEnglish walnut burl, turned, carved, and sandblasted

11” x 13” x 12”

25

Stephen Hatcher Everett, WA

Spring Arrives Maple, ebony, and mineral spirits

7” x 8.5” x 2.5”

used in guitar manufacturing were used in place of real ebony veneers. The finish isa water-based lacquer (KTM9).

The design emphasizes the emergence oflife in spring when the forests are turninggreen.

The maple was obtained from a treeremoved for housing construction. Theebony was guitar fingerboard seconds(containing insect holes) and laminatedwith black epoxy to achieve the desiredthickness. Wood fiber veneers normally

26

Tim Heil Gem Lake, MN

Yes, the lights work, and in so doing theproject literally “Turns Green.” The cherryand red oak were harvested when the citywidened the road in front of my house. Themaple is scrap from a porch column. Thecolored lights are “energy savers.” They onlydraw 14 cool watts but illuminate to a 60watt equivalent.

Turn On GreenRed oak, cherry, maple, three discarded shop lights,

scrap pipe, and a broken music stand base

27” X 7” X 7”

27

Al Hockenbery Lakeland, FL

The nested spheres are joined using theprinciple of an antique green wood chairjoint in which a bulbous tenon is forcedthrough a hole bored by a spoon bit whichcreates a hole wider than its opening. Whenthe wood shrinks, the joint tightens.Camphor is an alien invasive species inFlorida.

Alien Trio Camphor, turned 2”, 3”, and 5” balls

The large ball is textured along the growth rings.

5” x 5” x 5”

28

John JordanAntioch, TN

JUROR

This piece is part of “The White Ash TreeProject” created from the wood of a 350-year-old white ash tree. This project wasconceived by Steven Strompf to keep thespirit of a very special tree alive. The treegrew in front of an elementary school hischildren attend in Tenafly, New Jersey. Thisbeautiful 75-foot tree has watched overchildren for many generations. This piece,along with work from thirteen otherprestigious woodturners, is part of acollection belonging to “The Children’s Treeand Art Foundation, Inc.”

This foundation was created to protect theworks of art created from this tree, as wellas develop and enrich the lives of childrenthrough art and culture.

White Ash Tree ProjectWhite ash, turned and carved

7” x 9”

29

Neil KaganFalls Church, VA

The Secret Rose Cherry, turned and carved

4” x 6” x 6”

the ultimate symbol of love, the flower thatconnects the essence of the natural worldwith the human heart. “The Secret Rose” isa turned box with a lid carved into a stylizedrose. Upon opening the box, a second roseis revealed on the underside of the lid. Ifyou turn the box over, the secret of therose’s growth is revealed – unfurling pedalsin a spiral pattern.

“The Secret Rose” is turned and carvedfrom a cherry tree which was cut down by aneighbor because it threatened to fall on hishome. I discovered the cherry logs left bythe curb waiting to be carted off and groundinto mulch.

The design was inspired by Portland’s RoseGarden. The rose reflects the emotionalconnection between people and nature. It is

30

Neil Kagan Falls Church, VA

Wedding Flower Ambrosia maple, turned and

carved

11.5” x 13.5” x 11”

Wedding Flower was turned and carvedfrom a found log. I noticed the telltalestreaks of the ambrosia beetle in the woodand rescued several choice pieces thatwould have ended up in the dump or insomeone’s fireplace.

In Chinese culture, flowers are not onlyobjects of beauty, but symbols of life,

happiness, and fertility. The turned andcarved flower is similar to the one I madefor my daughter and husband for a weddinggift—created from the other half of the samemaple log. It is another example of turningwood destined for destruction into a symbolof life—a kind of eternal bloom.

31

Ed Kelle Glen Head, NY

The FragileSugar maple, turned and carved

11” x 1.5”

A continuation of my Coral Series, this piecedemonstrates the bleaching effect occurringwithin coral reefs throughout the world,which are mainly caused by global climaticchange and increased UV radiation. Theresult is that the color producing algae livingwithin the corals are not able to survive,leaving only the bare coral skeletons. Theplatter demonstrates the fragile balance of

nature and how a seemingly small changecan produce drastic results. Made fromsalvaged sugar maple, the gentle rocking ofthe platter implies this delicate balance. Thesmall wood fibers identify the material aswood, while also providing a reference tothe algae present in real coral.

,

32

Glenn KruegNewark, CA

Bamboo Maze Top row, left to right: carob, carbonized bamboo, palmnut with African blackwood top, cork oak, tagua nutand blackwood, Honduras rosewood burl, spaltedtamarind, popcorn cob with blackwood, and curlyminneritchie. Bottom row, left to right: cocobolo,afzelia lay, bamboo, blackwood, brown box elder,spalted tamarind, orange box elder, and black palm

8.5” x 14” x 2.25”

A sustainable eco-friendly exhibit withcarbonized bamboo box, natural bambooshelves and background, all leftover piecesfrom a flooring project. The back panel isrecycled chipboard. Miniature pieces arefrom tree prunings, sustainable agriculturalproducts, palm nuts, shorts and cut-offsunusable for manufacturing. All pieces arefinished with natural waxes.

33

Alan LacerRiver Falls, WI

This is one of a series I have done forabout 10 years. The box holds around 2pounds of normal length pasta (about 10”in length). I chose this wood for the“Turning Green” exhibit based on a uniqueproperty of the wood: in strong light thecolor turns to a rich green. Finding woodthat is truly green is a real challenge—andthis wood has the unique property of beingquite photo reactive. If the light level is low,the green color reverts back to a moregolden color; placed back into strong lightthe green color returns in several days.

Russian Chameleon Spaghetti BoxPalo Santo (or also called “vera wood”)

12.5” x 4”

34

Dale LarsonGresham, WA

This is the last end of an old growth Douglasfir beam that was full of nails and holes. Itwas 12” by 14” in size and about 24” long.In looking at the good end of the beam, Icould see two possible bowls. I thought itwas a good use for a second life for this oldbeam.

Two BowlsOld growth Douglas fir

4.75” x 13.25” and 5” x 13”

35

Normand LavoieWoodstock, GA

Storm damage and development havecreated a supply of wood for much of myturnings. But this “plain Jane” wood hasforced me to be more creative, and for this Iam grateful.

A lot of attention is given to the exotics andrare woods that are endangered species,and while they have a place in woodturning,I believe more consideration should begiven to local timber that is not endangered.Trees such as red maple, poplar, sweet gum,sycamore, American beech, white ash, blackcherry, and black walnut are self sustainingwhen the mortality and removal rates arecompared to the growth rates per year. Onthe other hand, Africa and South America,where much turning wood comes from,have the majority of the world's endangeredtrees and diminishing timber stocks. Forthese reasons, I chose to use poplar andblack cherry for my piece.

MerlotTulip poplar, turned, carved, and dyed

9” x 6.75” x 6.75”

Kristin LeVierMoscow, ID

“Turning Green” challenged me to find away to represent growth and life usingscavenged and recycled (scrap wood),recyclable (aluminum), and environmentallysound (milk paint) materials. I chose to givea bundle of mismatched shop scraps newlife as a modern tree, newly emerging fromwinter dormancy, to celebrate the springtimebirth of my baby daughter. The trunk andleaves of the lamp are turned from glued-upscrap wood: each is made up of two orthree glued-up layers, with the exception ofa few leaves that were turned from anabandoned chair leg discovered in mybasement.

Petra IncandescentMaple, poplar, oak, aluminum tubing, milk paint,

embroidery thread, grain of wheat lights, glued-up,turned, sawn, carved/hollowed, and painted

30” x 25” x 25”

Photo by Archer Photography

36

37

Robin LilesGriffin, GA

GualalaCherry burl with pierced sculptingepoxy rim

.75” x 12.5”

The title comes from the Gualala River innorthern California. It roughly translates to“where the water flows down.” It wascommon practice prior to the mid-1900s fortimber companies to clear cut tracts of oldgrowth forest next to large rivers so that

they could use the river as a way oftransporting the logs to saw millsdownstream. Logging in this way wasprofitable, but the damage left behind wasoften irreversible. Erosion took largeamounts of fertile topsoil and put it into the

rivers. Sometimes entire local ecosystemswere lost forever. When the railroad androad systems expanded, that type of logtransportation all but stopped. But,unfortunately, logging of old growth timbercontinues today.

38

Bill LuceRenton, WA

ReunionDouglas Fir, interior sandblasted

5.5” x 5.25” x 5”

5” x 6” x 5.75”

The title refers to the fact that the bowlscome from a pair of joined trees that wereblown over in a storm and are now togetheragain. Douglas fir is not generally consideredsuitable for woodturning because it ischallenging to work with. These pieces wereturned to completion while the wood wasgreen and fresh. Through careful tool work,sanding was minimal - mostly wet sandingto minimize airborne dust. Inside wastextured by blasting with recycled crushedglass in a cabinet fitted with a reclaimer thatcompletely recycles and reuses the blasting

material. The finish used on these pieces isminimal.

The larger chainsaws used for tree removaland cutting were operated with a vegetable-based bar oil instead of petroleum-basedoil. The smaller trimming was done with anelectric chainsaw also using biodegradableoil.

The shavings from the pieces are used forweed control in the garden, eventuallybecoming humus.

39

E. LundburgBenicia, CA

Benicia is a small town packed with historyand lots of ghosts. A vessel from the woodof a town’s historic camphor trees removedfor commercial development emerges frommud and rock embedded with century-oldbits and pieces of heavy-footed ghosts. Thispiece merges the saga of early Californiadevelopment told through its trash with thecurrent tale of a historic town’s camphortrees.

Rising (Again) through Our ArtifactsSalvaged wood and century-old trash, turned, carved,and hollowed. Historic artifacts are embedded into thecarved wood, while others are mounted on a thinlyturned wood platform surrounding and supporting themain element.

12” x 8” x 8”

40

Mike MahoneyOrem, UT

Thin to WinMormon poplar

8” x 18”

Green wood used in this calabash bowllends itself to cutting thinner than dry wood.If the grain is oriented correctly, the bowlwill warp into a balanced organic shape thatdoesn't resemble a turning but looks morelike a nut shell.

41

Alain MaillandUzes, France

Bonsai #4Heather root, turned, carved, and

sandblasted

5” x 8” x 6”

I gather my roots on forest walks. Theheather roots I find will eventually bedestroyed over time, so I use them beforethey disintegrate and disappear. The bonsaisymbolizes my love for the tree and therainforest—from the root to the top of thetree.

42

James McClureCantonment, FL

Ornamental Nuisance; Beautifully OrnamentalChinese tallow tree

10” x 15” x 12”

This trio of pieces is intended to bringawareness to the problem of non-nativeplants that become environmentalnuisances. Nuisance plants spread quickly,crowd out native plants, and in some casescause economic as well as environmentaldamage. One example is the Chinese tallowtree. It was introduced in the U.S. in the1700s and has spread throughout thesoutheastern United States and beyond. The

Chinese tallow tree is fast growing, fastspreading, and is a nuisance because iteventually monopolizes an area andcompletely replaces native vegetation. Thisornamental tree has colorful autumn foliage,can survive full sunlight, shade, flooding,drought, and sometimes even fire.Fortunately, in this case, this particularnuisance tree was removed and turned intoobjects of beauty.

43

Mary McKinneyCrestwood, KY

Black PearlEpoxy, turned, carved, with paint-ed cherry base

6” x 8” x 3”

The “Turning Green” theme inspired a new-found consciousness and appreciation forthe resources we use as turners. It providedinspiration to turn materials I had notpreviously worked with, and resulted in thediscovery of a new and interesting resource

for me. This sculpture was turned andcarved from epoxy, a man-made material.The base was turned and carved fromcherry recovered from a tree which had tobe removed due to storm damage.

44

William MooreHillsboro, OR

JUROR

EquilibriumMaple burl, copper, and bronze

11.5” x 23.5” x 13.25”

Photo by Dan Kvitka

In creating Equilibrium, I was interested inexploring balance and a sense ofmovement. The piece was created from acombination of multi-axis turned big leafmaple burl, a native Oregon species, andspun copper.

45

John NoffsingerAnnandale, VA

This piece was turned entirely from localtrimming and storm damaged woods. Themain body of “Grasshouse #360” is redmaple from Pelham Farm, Middleburg,Virginia. Hence the word Pelham engravedon the base, as is with all pieces turnedfrom the tree which stood near the farm’smain house. In 2002, dying from disease,this magnificent burled tree was scheduledto be cut down. I arranged to save the mainportion for a series of woodworks thatwould carry the Pelham name. The farmwas named after Major John Pelham ofhistorical Civil War fame who camped hisartillery division at this site for some time.Knowing the story and also the tree itself, Iconsider it quite a privilege to work thiswood. The upper T-handle and tuft at thebottom of the lid are turned and carvedfrom a black cherry tree that was downed ina storm not a mile from the Pelham tree.

The grasshouse theme was inspired byman’s primitive architectural roots. Reflectingupon a time when life was seeminglysimpler and a home was constructed oflocal growth and materials, the GrasshouseSeries mimics this with the warm feeling ofa home built from man’s simple needs andfrom his local surroundings.

Grasshouse #360 Red maple and black cherry,

turned and carved with pyrographyand dye

6.5” x 6” x 6”

46

Craig NuttKinston Springs, TN

The ever-growing mound of obsoletecomputer equipment in the corner of myoffice suggests that returning consumergoods to the environment is morechallenging than manufacturing them.Having made a chair from a tree and nowhaving attempted to make a tree (or atleast a credible piece of firewood) from achair, I can attest that it takes as much effortto put the chair back as to take it out.Perhaps Joyce Kilmer had it right.

Make a Tree from a ChairOak chair, deconstructed, laminated, turned, and

carved

35” x 16” x 13”

TREES

I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.

– Joyce Kilmer

“Trees” was published in 1914 in a collection of hiswork, “Trees and Other Poems.”

47

Pascal OudetRue du Moulin, France

Before It’s Too Late Turned, hollowed, carved andscorched live oak (quercus ilex)

6” x 6”

It’s quite sinister and not very friendly, isn’tit? For me, turning green is about ecologyand protecting our planet. It could becomeas welcoming as this one, if we continue towaste its natural resources and destroy its

biodiversity. People are not at ease whenlooking at this piece, and if it can causethem to think just a few seconds of howtheir own behavior can have an influenceon our future, I would be successful.

48

Ross PatersonChilliwack, BC, Canada

Parallel UniverseParallam, turned, carved and dyed

4” x 9.5”

The concept of utilizing a piece of salvagedconstruction material to produce a turningintrigued me. A piece of parallam left overfrom a house renovation project was theperfect material. Parallam has its ownunique pattern due to the way that thewood fibres are compressed together. Thispiece was designed to emulate awoodturning made from the original

material, the trunk of a tree. It features thetypical saddle shape, natural bark edge andthe sapwood/heartwood found on suchpieces. Turning green brings the wood inthis piece full circle, from a natural tree,broken down into wood fibres andmanufactured into a man-made material,now reformed into a “natural” woodturning.

49

George PetersonLake Toxaway, NC

Large BowlRed maple, turned and sewn

with waxed linen thread

20.5” x 7”

For me, turning has always been abouteconomizing. I use only non-endangered,locally harvested trees, and everything Imake is roughed out while the wood is stillgreen. For the professional, using local treesand turning the wood while still wet areobvious ways of saving energy and money.But, I think the most rewarding thing aboutusing green wood is the way it affects my

designs. The gentle undulations in the rimof this bowl are a result of the wooddistorting as it dries out, as is the crack andsubsequent repair. This movement plays animportant role when I consider a shape, asdifferent profiles, thickness, grain orientation,and species all play along with each other inthe final piece.

50

Gary PollardGreenview, CA

The walnut wood portion was rescued froma windfall tree destined for the fireplace andthe black walnuts were collected at nightwhen the squirrels were asleep. The primarymaterial used for this piece is walnut shells,which is a renewable resource requiringneither fossil fuels to harvest nor does itdeplete our forests of timber.

For the Squirrels Walnut wood and shells

6” x 5”

51

Sterling SandersSandpoint, ID

“Two Trees Thanked Me” is constructedprimarily of cement. Like wood, it is anatural material which comes from theearth. As wood artists, we create objectsknowing they have a limited lifespan. Unliketrees which will eventually turn to dust,cement has the potential to last virtuallyforever. Sycamore shavings from a treedestined for the landfill were added toinfuse the spirit of the earth as it isexpressed in the tree. No trees died for thiswork.

Two Trees Thanked Me Cement and sycamore shavings

10.5” x 3.75”

52

Heidi SchweglerPortland, OR

JUROR

TrimWhite bronze

(Heidi Schwegler is a professor of metals atthe Oregon College of Art & Craft. As such,she brought the perspective of an artistfrom another media to the jury process forthis exhibit.)

these gift-standbys end up in piles on theshelves of Goodwill, completely discarded,deflated and dead.

Objects in my recent work have includedwax-covered balloons that no longer float,slumped gift bows cast in white bronze andteddy bears made of stiff raffia. By alteringform and materiality I have rendered thesegifts, gift accessories, and party favorsuseless.

There is no such thing as a gift that is givenwithout the expectation of a return, whethera reciprocal gift or a gesture of love. There isan economy to gift giving. This ritual issituated in commerce, and there are specificobjects (clichés) and techniques marketedin our culture as expressions of grief andreplacements of love—a white teddy bear, adozen roses, helium filled balloons, a tightlyshrink-wrapped gift basket with fruit andlotion buried in a nest of raffia. Many of

53

Curt TheobaldPine Bluffs, WY

When thinking about the “Turning Green”theme, I was struck with the notion thatapplying green practices in one area canoften have a negative effect on anothernatural resource. My choice of acrylic for theexhibit typifies this observation. While notrees were used for the turnings, many ofthe synthetic polymers used in theproduction of acrylic are harmful to the airwe breathe. We need to be sensitive toconserving our natural resources and beaware of what causes their depletion. Afterall, who doesn’t want good water to drinkand clean air to breathe?

Tread Lightly Segmented acrylic

3” x 2.75”

54

Bill TilsonHuntsville, TX

Flower Vase #180 Elm burl and hickory

4” x 7” x 7”

Wanting to turn as green as possible, aminimal amount of wood plus fallen,recycled or discarded wood was used. Tofurther save wood, exotic elm burl veneerwas used instead of a solid blank for the

vase (petals). The veneer was seconds,cutoffs, or unusable discarded wood froman aircraft plywood manufacturer who wasgoing to burn it. The hickory was felled by abeaver.

55

Gerrit Van NessMount Vernon, WA

Tossed GreenMaple, poplar, turned and carved,with burl shavings, dye, and paint

10” x 13” x 16”

Here is a green salad, all from salvagedwood: burl “leaves” from coring burl hollowforms; scraps of wood from the floor fortomatoes, cucumber bits, and olives; salad

fork handles from a firewood pile; and thebowl was turned from a reject blank takenfrom a scrap heap. Bon appetit!

56

Derek WeidmanGreen Lane, PA

This piece is from a series of woodenmannequins I have been working on, in whicheach one represents a knight under anunconventional banner. This figure is theGreen Knight, and instead of standing forchivalry and righteousness, like the morecommon white knight, he is fighting for theenvironment and conservation. Like all knights,his main purpose is protection, and in hiscase the precious ecosystems fall under hisvigil. His armor, made of wood, leaves, andsticks, is symbolic of his oneness with nature,to the point that the hardships of the planethave affected him negatively. As apposed tospring green of the leaves that made up hisarmor when the world was fresh and new,they have begun to change with the times,taking on the color of fall. He is a staunchdefender of the environment showing wear inthe eleventh hour, as the planet may plungeinto a true global winter. Our time is racingpast us to start making important decisions,and I hope this piece helps castenvironmentalism into the noble light itdeserves and needs to be in.

The piece was turned, carved, and painted,and then joined together in the conventionalmanner in which mass produced woodenfigures are made. It was made of smallpieces, which was perfect for the themebecause scraps can actually be used insteadof needing a large piece of timber that a solidcarved figure would require.

Knight FallMahogany, boxwood, turned, carved, and acrylic paint

12” x 3.5” x 2”

57

John WilliamsNew Hope, PA

Recycle-A-Bowl Cherry, turned, pyrography, airbrushed acrylics

6.75” x 1.75”

This bowl is made from the smallest of fourcores from a large bowl blank.

The international recycling symbol isrepeated six times around the rim of thebowl. Recycling is a significant strategy forkeeping our environment “green.” Thered/orange texture of random swirls andflow lines represent the nature of ourwarming planet.

58

Helga WinterPort Townsend, WA

UntitledMadrone crotch with chainsaw

edge, bleached and waxed

15” x 14” x 5.5”

Photo by Frank Ross

This madrone crotch was harvested from atree that was severed in a windstorm fourweeks prior to being turned into a shell-likevessel, while the wood was still quite green.Using wood from fallen trees helps save ourforests.

59

Malcolm Zander Ottawa, ON, Canada

I Love Yew & I Love Yew TwoPacific Northwest yew, turned andcarved with natural oil finish

3.5” x 2.75” (both pieces)

Few woods could be more emblematic ofthe theme of this symposium than yew. Thebark of the yew tree contains Taxol(“Paclitaxel”), a valuable anticancer drug,first isolated from a yew tree near Mt. St.Helens. Taxol is a lifesaver for peoplesuffering from lung, ovarian, and breastcancer. Trees and plants are able to producenumerous unique medically active productsfar more efficiently than any human scientistis able to do.

The bottom line is that trees and plants area unique source of medically valuableproducts, many of which are yet to even befound. This is a very powerful argument forpreserving biodiversity. Who knows howmany more Taxols are out there?

In the case of the Pacific yew, Taxol isproduced in only small quantities in thebark, so there are insufficient trees to satisfyour need. However, the tree has served its

key role by giving us this product, a verycomplex molecule which no one wouldever have dreamed up on their own. It isnow made semi-synthetically; annual salesof Taxol in 2000 were $1.6 billion!

These two woodturnings were made from asingle small piece of found yew. The heartform is of course representative of love.Which one is the female partner and whichthe male is fairly evident.

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John Jordan

The word "green" has several specific aswell as implied meanings, and we saw anumber of those meanings applied to thework submitted for this exhibition. Theentries covered everything from "green"colored wood, to the use of "green wood"as a material, to the "green"/environmentalaspects of turning, which were applied in anumber of different ways.

We have selected pieces for the show thatwe feel fit some interpretation of "green,"and also have thoughtful, considered designalong with skilled craftsmanship andexecution, and appropriate use of materials.

I enjoyed seeing all of the applications, andgave much thought and consideration toeach entry. I feel that everyone that appliedshould be proud, after all, there were manywho weren't willing to put their work outthere—it's not always an easy thing to do. Tothose that were not selected, please don'tbe discouraged, it's only one show. I thankeach of you for being willing to share yourwork.

John Jordan

William Moore

I am honored to have been invited to be aco-juror of “Turning Green,” and wish tothank the AAW for the opportunity. As jurors,we each brought our own perspective tothe process, and as a result, we have arichly diverse exhibition.

I was looking for objects which creativelyexplored the theme of “Turning Green” orexpanded beyond its usual definitions(turning green wood or producing work inan environmentally sensitive way). I wasalso looking for objects that were wellcrafted and coherent in form and concept,which is to say all aspects of the objectserved to convey the idea. I enjoyed theprocess of reviewing the work submittedand discussing with the other jurors whateach of us saw in the pieces. I came awayfrom the process impressed with the qualityof the work submitted. While I enjoyedseeing many applicants exploring sculpturalideas in their work, I was surprised not tosee more classic turned wood bowls.

I hope the exhibition will challenge you to“think green.”

William Moore

Heidi Schwegler

In order to jury such a large amount ofwork, I felt it was necessary to adhere to apredetermined set of criteria. Included inthis paradigm was work that struck me asformally and/or conceptually intriguing, orwork that showed a clear yet cleverinvestigation of material and process dealingwith the notion of ‘green’.

Formally, I found the seeming simplicity ofCliff Guard, James McClure and MichaelHample’s turned bowls to be aestheticallypleasing and technically well done. Therewere quite a few entries that dealt with thenotion of green by not turning wood. A fewthat utilized some of these alternativematerials in an effective manner includeSterling Sanders’ turned cement piece “TwoTrees Thanked Me,” and Curt Theobald’ssegmented acrylic bowl “Tread Lightly.”Coming from a jewelry/metalsmithingbackground, I couldn’t help but be struck bythe works of Malcolm Zander and DeweyGarrett as visually elegant in their delicateand almost jewelry-like quality.

Before actually seeing the submitted work, Iwas concerned that it would be challengingto jury a show not having had anyexperience with the medium. In the endhowever, I was free to respond to the workon a purely formal and intuitive level.

Heidi Schwegler

Jury Statements

Published by the American Association of Woodturners—June 2007

Prepared by Bill Haskell, Exhibitions Chairand

Jean LeGwin, Publications Chair

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