2012 AAW Symposium - Day 1 report

I was pretty busy running around all day with my camera gear, which is great exercise and gives me a chance to sample a lot of different rotations. The panel discussions are primarily what I'm missing, but I will slow down a bit today to take in a few rotations. So far I've done about 30 GB of photos - maybe 2000 images to sort through from Thursday and Friday. I'll probably end up with as much or more today and tomorrow.

Highlights for me from a photographer's perspective: watching the reaction of the kids in the youth turning program when they are seeing a very cool or new technique demonstrated. I also enjoyed watching some of the kids looking at the instant gallery items - I took one photo yesterday of a little boy with such a sense of wonder on his face that I'm sure it will end up being my favorite from the weekend.

I'll be posting pictures in a week or so. There are some already on the AAW Facebook page, but I will need some post processing time to sort through all the images, select the best ones for processing, and then to give Betty Scarpino a selection for the journal. Afterwards, AAW will publish a selection of my highlights and the rest will go onto my Woodturning Facebook page.

I really enjoyed watching the trade show action yesterday. The demonstrations that take place there are very intimate with a few turners gathered around to watch what is going on. The exchange of questions and answers is very intense in this setting. Watching attendees peruse the instant gallery and exhibits is also a lot of fun. Another highlight for me was the interaction I had with a security guard who is assigned to the exhibits gallery space. I showed him my "You will reap what you sow" entry and explained the symbols inside the pod chambers. I put a headlamp there for people to explore the piece and my new friend is telling everyone about it as they enter the exhibit. So my little bit of outreach has had some good effect in that people can actually learn a bit about my piece and have that extra little surprise as they shine the flashlight into the chambers.

There are a couple of other academics on the demonstration roster this weekend. Rob Wallace, my good friend in plant systematics, has a few rotations. He had quite a crowd gathered last night for his Special Interest Night sessions on Gizmos. Sara Robinson is a wood mycologist from Michigan Tech and she's been giving demonstrations on do-it-yourself spalting. I had a nice chat with her at dinner on Thursday night. The woodturning community is made up of people from all walks of life and career tracks. I mostly meet retired engineers, but there are a few of us in the biological realm - mostly medical - and other areas of expertise.

Today will be a long one with the banquet and auction taking place tonight. I'll write up a synopsis tomorrow morning if I don't have a chance to do it this evening.

2012 AAW Symposium - prelude

Today was the set-up day for this year's AAW symposium, which is in San Jose, California. The trade show, instant gallery, and the exhibits space was a buzz of activity as everyone scrambled to put things into place for tomorrow's opening. Despite all the frenzied activity, there was a lot of laughter and good cheer spread all around the San Jose convention center.

I spent the day running around the site taking photos of all the action. Every year there is the fun of watching people reconnect since the last gathering of woodturners. It's as if no time has elapsed and everyone picks up where we left off from last time we met. That's one of the great joys of this community of artisans.

In addition to the regular activities of registration packet pick-up, merchandise sales, "Learn to Turn," and putting together all the lathes and demonstration equipment, there was a new activity in the form of a gathering of international turners to discuss how to enable interaction among the turners who live in different parts of the globe. I'm sure there will be many interesting developments from what is started here in San Jose.

One of the most interesting things I photographed today was the behind-the-scenes assembly of all the demonstration gear. The local clubs really do a lot of work to make it all happen. Despite the physical labor involved, I heard a lot of laughter and comradeship going on while all the power tools were being used to build light and camera stands and safety shields.

The exhibits reception was this evening. I have a piece in the "Beyond Containment" exhibit as well as in "A Walk in the Woods" exhibit. It was fun to watch people checking out the pieces in these exhibits as well as the one featuring the PoP merit award winner, Richard Raffan.

My brief walkabout in the instant gallery as pieces were being placed on tables gave me a nice preview of how great this exhibit will be this year. I'm looking forward to checking it all out tomorrow and the rest of the weekend.

Elizabeth Lundburg gave a well attended demonstration as the first of our four emerging artists to be featured in the instant gallery space. She demonstrated her surface techniques and talked about design inspirations.

All-in-all, the symposium is off to a good start.

Corpse Flower time lapse - two views

My latest photography project was for a time lapse video of our latest giant Corpse Flower to bloom at The Ohio State University. The video shows two views - a time lapse sequence from the side, which covers about two weeks prior to flowering and two days after; the other view is from an overhead cam showing the three days from bloom through wilting of the spathe and spadix.  

Please share the video - thanks.

The Smiling Cow

Camden Harbor, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Interesting name for a gift shop. Seen in Camden, Maine last summer.

Iris

Iris, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

If I had my career to start again, I might specialize in the Iris family. I really love the diversity of floral shapes, colors, and habitat adaptations of the genera and species in the family. There is a diversity hotspot in South Africa. Alas, the group has been thoroughly worked by other systematists, but I still love the group.

Farm scenes...

Farm scenes..., a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

My last morning in North Carolina during my May trip had beautiful morning light. This is the back of a shed on the farm of my friends John and Patty Hill. I love the interplay of color and textures combined with the light filtered through the leaf canopy.

Iris

Iris, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another of the irises I photographed while in North Carolina. Getting the blue color to come out right is always a challenge, but I think this one is accurate.

Clover

Clover, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

For such a common "weed," the lowly clover has an incredibly beautiful inflorescence. Clover is the common name for the genus Trifolium, a member of the legume family. I well remember walking through fields as a kid and plucking these flower heads to pull the individual flowers off for the purpose of tasting the nectar. I still do this, I have to admit, but the nectar is so very sweet it's hard to resist.

No Parking

No Parking, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Hmmmmmm - maybe this is an authorized vehicle? I wasn't particularly happy to see a dog in the front seat as I was processing this photo. The car was in the shade, but it's a very dangerous situation to leave a dog or a child in a closed car during the summer. In South Africa people are on notice that if this kind of scenario is seen, the windows will be smashed in with a brick. Maybe we should adopt that practice in North America, too.

Portland Head lighthouse

Portland Head lighthouse, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Yesterday I went back and reviewed some old photo libraries. I had done a series of images of Portland Head Lighthouse last August, after Steve and I visited Maine for the first time. There were still some gems to process, so here's another lighthouse pic.

Iris

Iris, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This beautiful iris greeted me each day at the guest house where I stayed in Saluda, North Carolina. I love irises, but I've not had much luck in keeping them in cultivation. They require a bit more care than I have to give...

The Titan Arum bloom at OSU

The botany begins…., a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This is a detail photo of the Titan Arum spathe, just as it was reaching its prime Friday night. The color of Jesse, our most recent bloom, was spectacular - so rich and velvety. It's truly a transient phenomenon. After the first night the inflorescence rapidly declines, but while it is opening it is absolutely spectacular to see and smell.

Pollinating a Titan Arum 1

Pollinating a Titan Arum 1, a photo by Stephen A. Wolfe on Flickr.

I had a turn at pollinating Jesse in the wee hours of the morning. Photo by Steve Wolfe.

Jesse is absolutely stunning.

Jesse is absolutely stunning., a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Jesse started opening between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. May 25, 2012, and finished about 1:00 a.m. May 26, 2012. Pollination occurred after the spadix reached a temperature near 35°C. The stigmas were receptive at that time, so we're optimistic that we'll have some seed set.

Visiting hours at the Biosciences Greenhouse (12th Avene, atop parking garage K) are from 9 to 9 am on May 26, and to be announced for Sunday.

Check out the FB albums for more pics and info:

https://www.facebook.com/WoodytheTitanArumatOSU

Jesse is blooming tonight!

Jesse is blooming tonight!, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The second Titan Arum in two years time is currently blooming in the Biological Sciences Greenhouse at The Ohio State University. Visiting hours tomorrow, May 26, 2012 are 9 to 9.