Demos I attended:
This is Pat Kramer working on a lid to a tall calabash type vessel. I missed the first part of this demo, which was really disappointing to me. He did a powerpoint presentation on the cultural history and significance of the traditional Hawaiian vessels.
Pat had some challenges in keeping to the time frame of the rotation schedule, so I didn't get to see the lid as it was finished.
Here is the tall calabash vessel for which the lid was being made. This was a pleasure to hold. It's made from Milo, which was one of the answers to the trivia quiz ("What Hawaiian wood is also the name of a grain?")
This is one of the interesting carved vessels Pat Kramer had in the instant gallery. It's made from Norfolk Island Pine, has a lot of detail carving in it, and it looks as if it were colored with leather dye. I don't know for sure because I didn't get a chance to ask Pat about it.
I also attended Michael Mocho's rotation on carving with sanding tools. I really enjoyed this rotation and learned a lot of new things that have me thinking about how I could apply some of the concepts presented by Michael into my own work.
Here's an audience member helping with the dust collection system.
Michael showed a lot of interesting fixtures for sanding on the lathe, including spindles turned with two morse tapers to fit into the headstock and tailstock. You can pad the cylinder with a hose and then spray adhesive and connect sandpaper to the spindle. You can make a longer one with several grits and just work your way down the spindle up through the grits.
Here is a box of small, interesting shapes that have been manipulated with a parting tool and/or sanding spindles.
I attended parts of demos by Mick O'Donnell, and all of this one by Liz and Mick together. Liz broke her left wrist a couple of months ago and can't hold things well in her left hand, so Mick is helping her with some of the manipulations done with a jig saw. He also does the carving on their bird bowls.
Liz has a degree in fine arts and has used her education to good effect in these collaborative pieces. Mick turns the form, which becomes a canvas for Liz's creativity. It's wonderful work and they make a really great team.
Here's an interesting technique they shared. You put divots into the wood using a spring loaded punch. Then the wood is scraped away on the lathe until just a shadow of that divot is left. The form is then steamed for several minutes to raise the grain in the divot. It's a pretty cool effect.
Here's a glaze pattern on one of their collaborative bowls. I really like this body of work from the O'Donnells.
Friday evening is the annual BBQ up in one of the local parks at the base of Provo Canyon. Here are some pictures from Friday afternoon and evening:
I am waiting for a ride to the BBQ. This is Dick Sing from Chicago.
A view of Lake Utah from the picnic site.
Here's the other side of the picnic site. I really love the Wasatch Mountains.
Dick and Cindy Sing at the BBQ. These two are so much fun to visit. I really enjoy the evening gatherings where the story swapping is outrageous, as are the jokes, limericks, and bad puns.
The weather was really fine so we had a huge crowd at the BBQ.
Mark Baker and Cindy Sing.
Mark is from the UK and did some excellent demonstrations this year and last. I sat through part of his gilding demo, but had to leave when the solvents got too thick. I have pretty bad reactions to organic solvents, and I didn't want to pass out in front of everyone.
Here's the rim of a demo bowl that Mark was passing around during his gilding demo.
J. Paul Fennell and Don McDougal at the BBQ. These two are really nice and give me rides back and forth from the hotel to BYU and all over the place. I think I'm going to have to rent the car for next year instead of hitching rides with them. They can ride with me next year. . .
Mick O'Donnell is showing off his legs with his kilt. His wife, Liz, is on the left. Bonnie Klein is on the right.
Sharon Doughtie with Allan Batty. It sure was good to see Allan at the symposium again this year.
Sharon fell for Allan's "kiss my cheek" trick. Neither one seemed to mind very much, but Allan told me to stop trying to ruin an old man's fun by warning all the ladies about his methods.
Dale Nish invited all the current and past demonstrators to come to his house for a few hours after the BBQ to visit with one another and to see his woodturning collection. That was really a treat for us all. It was so nice to have some uninterrupted time to catch up on news and to see his collection.
Dale has this AAW Lifetime Award hanging on the wall in his den.
Noreen has a lovely garden and I found this beautiful Penstemon growing there. I think it's Penstemon mensarum, but I'd have to actually key it out to know for sure.
There are woodturnings scattered throughout the house and stored in boxes in the basement. It was very enjoyable to poke around in the cabinets to see what small treasures could be found. I hope Dale can organize a permanent exhibit for his collection. There are some real gems to be found.
Including Dale's signature "Wormy Ash" vessel. The one next to it looks like it might be from one of the Moulthrops.
Part of Dale's bird house ornament collection. He makes a new design each year and distributes them among the children and grand children.
The box covered in thorns is by David Sengel.
Dale Nish and J. Paul Fennell looking at one of Paul's early hollow forms. Dale bought this at an AAW auction in the 1980's.
There are more treasures to see in the hall closet. . .
Here's part of that closet - pretty amazing. . .
Nick Arnull holding one of Kelly Dunn's Norfolk Island Pine Bowls. It looks like Nick is reciting a soliloquy from Hamlet to Kelly in this picture.
("To bowl, or not to bowl. . .")
The platter on the right was made by Thys Carstens from South Africa. I had this platter in an exhibit at the 2003 AAW symposium.
Liz and Mick O'Donnell. I love the kilt. Mick calls it a "working kilt" so he should be allowed to make shavings while wearing it.
This is my favorite picture from Friday. That's Graeme Priddle on the left and Ken Sager on the right. Ken started the New Zealand woodturning movement. He's 90 years old and came over to give a talk on New Zealand woodturning. I saw his presentation last year - it was terrific.
What's really fun about Ken is that he's 90 years young. He just experienced his first parachute jump at 90. He really seems spry, and he loves woodturning.
A gathering of turners on the patio at Dale and Noreen Nish's home. This was such a peaceful place to sit and visit with each other. The view of the mountains and the garden were very restful. I enjoyed watching the birds - especially the quails.
Pictures from the rest of the symposium events:
Kelly Dunn turning an egg cup in the egg cup race on Friday night. That's Mike Mahoney doing the supervision. Kelly did his project in just over a minute.
The closing ceremony is the last event of the symposium. All the door prizes and awards are distributed then. The demonstrators sit up front. Here's one batch of them.
Here's the other side. The lineup this year was excellent. Kip Christensen is to be congratulated for organizing such a wonderful program.
Here's a view from the back of the room. Some turners have already left for the airport, so it wasn't quite as crowded as the opening ceremony.
The most moving moment of the entire symposium was the speech given by Ken Sager. He expressed his thanks for all the work done by Dale Nish to make woodturning such a vibrant field of craft and art. I hope somebody makes a transcript of that speech - it was priceless.
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