Tornearia de madeira

1. Turning Green
American Association of Woodturners

3. Turning Green

5. Turning Green
American Association of Woodturners
2007 Exhibition
Premiering at the Oregon College of Art & Craft
Portland, Oregon
June 28–July 20, 2007
American Association of Woodturners Gallery
St. Paul, Minnesota
September 14–December 14, 2007

6. “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

7. Contents
Charles Benson 6 Kristin LeVier 36
Marco Berera 7 Robin Liles 37
Christian Burchard 8 Bill Luce 38
Kevin Burris 9 E. Lundburg 39
Jim Burrowes 10 Mike Mahoney 40
Leonard Byrd 11 Alain Mailland 41
Francisco Clemente 12 James McClure 42
Tom Crabb 14 Mary McKinney 43
Barbara Crockett 15 William Moore 44
J. Paul Fennell 16 John Noffsinger 45
Melvyn Firmager 17 Craig Nutt 46
Mark Gardner 18 Pascal Oudet 47
Dewey Garrett 19 Ross Paterson 48
Cliff Guard 21 George Peterson 49
Bob Hadley 22 Gary Pollard 50
Michael Hampel 23 Sterling Sanders 51
Stephen Hatcher 25 Heidi Schwegler 52
Tim Heil 26 Curt Theobald 53
Al Hockenbery 27 Bill Tilson 54
John Jordan 28 Gerrit Van Ness 55
Neil Kagan 29 Derek Weidman 56
Ed Kelle 31 John Williams 57
Glenn Krueg 32 Helga Winter 58
Alan Lacer 33 Malcolm Zander 59
Dale Larson 34 Jury Statements 60
Normand Lavoie 35

8. Charles Benson
Spokane, WA
This vessel, made from a dead apricot tree
and 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 water
based. The final finish is a water-base
lacquer Crystalac. No CFC’s anywhere.
This piece depicts the importance of ozone
protection. The stratospheric ozone layer is
the earth’s natural protection for all life
forms, shielding our planet from harmful
ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. UV-B radiation
is harmful to humans, animals, and plant
life. This destructive radiation is credited for
damaging our hardwood forests and
phytoplankton (part of the ocean food
chain). The ozone layer is being damaged
(ozone holes) and depleted by our use of
certain chemicals including refrigerants,
halons, and certain crop pesticides (CFC’S—
chlorofluorocarbons).
This work shows the fiery radiation
penetrating our damaged stratospheric
ozone layer and destroying our green earth
below. The green earth is depicted on the
opposite side. The solar flames on the top
demonstrate the need for this protective
layer.
Ozone
Apricot, cherry, and maple
9” x 4”
6

9. Marco Berera
Richmond, BC, Canada
Pollution of our water bodies is a serious
environmental problem. This sculpture
depicts fish fighting for a clean environment
with the rough inside depicting the pollution
they encounter and the clear plastic base
the clean water for which they and we long.
Something Fishy
Alder 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”
7

10. Christian Burchard
Ashland, OR
For the last couple of years I have been
using pieces of green madrone root to turn
open vessel forms in my White Baskets
series. During the harvest of madrone burl
for veneer, the bottom sections of these
burls, the root systems, are discarded and
taken to the landfill. It is hard to find
sections large enough to turn (and
hopefully free of dirt and rocks), there is a
lot of waste (and dull chain saws, etc.), but I
am intrigued by the unpredictability of
turning this material. Shrinkage is up to
25%, sometimes more. The final form is
dictated by a myriad of grain directions, root
connections, and stress patterns. To
emphasize this, I remove all color through
bleaching, like in black and white
photography, to show the essence of this
material—the spirit within.
White Basket
Bleached madrone root
10” x 11”
8

11. Kevin Burris
Portland, OR
One of the most important aspects of my
work is the use of magazines. The magazine
has gone through a metamorphosis starting
as wood, processed into a magazine, and
now used as a substitute for wood within
my sculptures. In a sense, it is a
representation of the past and present
materials that have been combined into one
sculptural object. The addition of the
magazine helps to break up the wood
sculpture and helps create aesthetically
pleasing lines using the bound and printed
images and information. These lines of
paper tell stories, and document cultures.
Although we cannot access it physically once
it is incorporated into a sculpture, we can
imagine what the pages might contain and
make up our own stories.
Movement Series #14
National Geographic magazines, wood, and paint
10” x 12” x 10”
9

12. Jim Burrowes
New Carlisle, OH
These candlesticks were turned from a
single yellow pine 2” x 4” board that was
left over from the construction of my new
shop/gallery. I hope that woodturners
generally make efficient use of our precious
forest resources by using materials that
would otherwise be discarded or burned.
Leftovers
Yellow pine, turned on multi-axis between centers
15.5” x 3.5” x 3.5”
10

13. Leonard Byrd
Phoenix, AZ
This bowl was made from OSB that was
recycled from a multi-home building project.
Untitled #3
Laminated and turned oriented strandboard (OSB)
4.5” x 7.5” x 7.5”
11

14. Francisco Clemente
Honolulu, HI
As a building contractor and cabinet maker, I
always have scrap pieces of Baltic birch left
over from constructing cabinet drawers. This
piece was made from scraps that otherwise
would have ended up in the dumpster.
Gota de Lava
Baltic birch plywood scraps, turned and carved
27” x 7” x 7”
12

15. Francisco Clemente
Honolulu, HI
This vessel was made out of pieces of OSB
scraps found on the construction site. OSB is
a material that is used in construction to
wrap walls and floors; thus, there are lots of
scrap pieces that end up going to the dump.
In finishing the piece, metal powder was
used to fill the crevices.
Pau Opala
OSB (oriented strandboard) scraps, turned, carved,
and oiled
15” x 9” x 9”
13

16. Tom Crabb
Richmond, VA
This piece suggests that the relationship
between man and nature should be an
intimate dance of style and grace – the
Tango, a dance without stepping on each
others toes. The Tango represents growth
and renewal while using each other for
expression. This limb material, which usually
ends up in the landfill, was put to good use
here.
Tango
Cherry and hackberry, turned hollow forms, steam
bent
8.5” x 7” x 4”
14

17. Barbara Crockett
Columbus, OH
The piece of wood in this turning was from
a very large tree that was bulldozed on land
that was being cleared to make way for a
new housing development. The fallen tree
revealed wonderful curl and color that had
been hidden inside for decades. The back
hoe operator saw the beauty in this
majestic old tree and called us before it had
to be shoveled off to the landfill. About 50
turning blanks were rescued from this tree
that day.
Rescued Beauty
Curly box elder, turned green, bleached, and finished
with water based polyurethane
8” x 9” x 9”
15

18. J. Paul Fennell
Scottsdale, AZ
The neon tubing—representing the flower
stems—is energized at the ends concealed
within the stone. The wood elements—
leaves at the base and tubular flower
forms—are turned, carved and bleached to
appear white and lifeless. The stone, a
common hard, smooth granite cobble has
drilled holes to accept the leaves and neon
tubing. A supporting pedestal houses the
transformers and wiring. Once energized,
the stems glow a blood-red up into the
flower calyx, causing the flower forms to
glow because of their translucency. The
effect is that blood is being drawn out of the
stone by the stems to nourish the flowers.
“Blood” is also seen oozing from the base of
the leaves, within the leaf veins, and
dripping off the pistils of the flowers. All of
the elements are from recycled materials
except the electrical components.
This piece was created as a metaphor
emphasizing the extreme difficulty in uniting
the global community to deal with the
implications of climate changes due to
human activity.
The implied metaphor involves blood being
used in the surreal manner of sustaining a
flower, eliciting a false sense of well-being,
even with the knowledge that it is
impossible to extract it from an inorganic,
sterile object such as a stone. This
emphasizes the proclivity of mankind to
ignore or trivialize negative global trends,
either by procrastinating or by falsely Blood from a Stone
assuming that new technologies will arrive in
time to solve the problem. Wood, stone, and luminous neon
tubing
16” x 10” x 8”
16

19. Melvyn Firmager
Wedmore, Somerset, England
Eucalyptus is a very unstable wood when
wet, and changes shape as it dries. This
piece has a green perspective from the use
of wet wood; the wavy rims that represent
nature in all it’s myriad forms; and the use
of a fallen domestic tree that would
otherwise have gone to the dump or been
burned as firewood.
Sea Flower in a Shifting Current
Eucalyptus, turned off-center, stain,
powder, and glue
9.5” x 7.25”
17

20. Mark Gardner
Saluda, NC
Offering Bowl
Maple and paint
3.5” x 22” x 18”
This piece was turned green and allowed to bowl for this piece green, leaving it thick and where the repairs will be. One of the things I
dry and warp and crack. Once dry the cracks allowing it to warp and crack I feel that I’m like about my current work is that I’ve given
were repaired with butterflies inlayed over able to bring some “looseness” to the piece. up a bit of control. I have a good idea of what
the cracks. The pattern was drawn with Many of the pieces of Oceanic and African art the wood is going to do and how it is going
pencil, carved and then painted using milk I’m drawn to are utilitarian items that have to move, but I’m not as interested in it being
paints, and finally, acrylic lacquer. been repaired at some point. In my work the perfect (how a circle is perfect) anymore. This
turned form often cracks as it dries. I repair piece, unlike some of the vessels I’ve made
Most of my work has been influenced by
them by inlaying butterflies over the cracks. that are highly carved and embellished, allows
African and Oceanic art. There is a
This will insure that the crack won’t develop the wood to add a bit of its natural rhythm to
“looseness” and spontaneity to that work that
further and, because I can’t control where the the piece as it dries and warps.
I try to incorporate in my work. By turning the
cracks will occur, it adds some randomness to
18

21. Dewey Garrett
Livermore, CA
Burl in the City
Maple burl, turned and bleached;
oak scraps, milled and turned,
assembled and bleached
7.5” x 14” x 14”
One of the meanings of sustainability is the beauty of a precious natural material. The
capability “to keep from falling, to uphold, bowl in the piece is turned from a cylinder
and to support.” As metaphor, this work cut from a maple burl cap; the supporting
suggests that a complex human construction city vessel form is made from scraps of oak
like a city can support a natural and wood left over from other projects but
beautiful resource like the maple burl turned saved to be recycled into a new piece. The
into a vessel form. When we use and components are bleached to suggest the
manage our forests responsibly, we both human involvement in the process.
maintain the resource and preserve the
19

22. Dewey Garrett
Livermore, CA
PI Boxes
Pink ivory
2” x 3” x 3” (largest)
Pink ivory is a rare and expensive wood and I little boxes from the corners of the square
had saved this block for a number of years, block for a total of nine boxes. This method of
seeking an appropriate use for it. In thinking fabrication also gave me the opportunity to
about how to maximize the use of the decorate the sides and both the top and
material, it occurred to me that I could make a bottom (inside and out on the larger ones) on
number of boxes if I cored the wood block my homemade ornamental turning engine.
several times and then assembled each core This piece illustrates how, with a little extra
with a fitted top and bottom from the same work, we can minimize waste and use our
piece of wood. I was also able to make four precious material responsibly
20

23. Cliff Guard
Chesapeake, VA
From colonial times to the early 1900s,
loggers cut trees from inland virgin forests
and floated them down the various rivers to
sawmills in port towns such as Wilmington.
Many of the logs became
saturated/waterlogged, sank, and were
forgotten. With unlimited forests it was
easier to cut more trees than recovering the
sunken logs. In recent years, The Cape Fear
Riverwood Corporation has been recovering
these lost trees from the river bottom.
Because the logs existed on the river
bottom in an oxygen free environment,
when it was turned, it was like green wood.
There was the unique smell of turpentine
and the expected movement of green
wood.
Sunken Treasure
Southern yellow pine (reclaimed “river wood”)
5” x 4.25”
21

24. Bob Hadley
Yorba Linda, CA
Let It Be
Macadamia, “urban timber”
5” x 8” x 8”
By utilizing wood from urban street or yard landfills. By using these otherwise discarded
trees we help preserve the natural forests. street trees instead of forest timber, we can
We also can extend the life of a street tree do our part to keep the world a little
by turning it into something interesting and greener a little longer.
useful. So many street trees end up in
22

25. Michael Hampel
Chelan, WA
The root-burl which this wood came from
grew in an old homestead in my town,
which is currently being developed into
condominiums. Being at the right place at
the right time, I saved it from being burned.
So much gets wasted in our modern day
drive for progress, speed, and efficiency,
that it gives me great pleasure to use
material that was considered waste.
Family IV
English walnut burl, turned green, and sand blasted
12.5” x 14.5”
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26. Michael Hampel
Chelan, WA
We share the planet with many forms of
life, but a common perception is that only
human interest and welfare are worth
considering. I believe in order for us to
continue to survive and thrive, we have to
have a broader view of our everyday activity
and how it affects the planet and all other
life forms including ourselves. I attempt,
with my work, to honor the natural world
and its many permutations. The wood for
this piece is recycled from a tree previously
destined as waste.
It’s Not a House, It’s a Home
English walnut burl, turned, carved, and sandblasted
11” x 13” x 12”
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27. Stephen Hatcher
Everett, WA
Spring Arrives
Maple, ebony, and mineral spirits
7” x 8.5” x 2.5”
The maple was obtained from a tree used in guitar manufacturing were used
removed for housing construction. The in place of real ebony veneers. The finish is
ebony was guitar fingerboard seconds a water-based lacquer (KTM9).
(containing insect holes) and laminated
The design emphasizes the emergence of
with black epoxy to achieve the desired
life in spring when the forests are turning
thickness. Wood fiber veneers normally
green.
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28. Tim Heil
Gem Lake, MN
Yes, the lights work, and in so doing the
project literally “Turns Green.” The cherry
and red oak were harvested when the city
widened the road in front of my house. The
maple is scrap from a porch column. The
colored lights are “energy savers.” They only
draw 14 cool watts but illuminate to a 60
watt equivalent.
Turn On Green
Red oak, cherry, maple, three discarded shop lights,
scrap pipe, and a broken music stand base
27” X 7” X 7”
26

29. Al Hockenbery
Lakeland, FL
The nested spheres are joined using the
principle of an antique green wood chair
joint in which a bulbous tenon is forced
through a hole bored by a spoon bit which
creates a hole wider than its opening. When
the wood shrinks, the joint tightens.
Camphor is an alien invasive species in
Florida.
Alien Trio
Camphor, turned 2”, 3”, and 5” balls
The large ball is textured along the growth rings.
5” x 5” x 5”
27

30. John Jordan
Antioch, TN
JUROR
This piece is part of “The White Ash Tree
Project” created from the wood of a 350-
year-old white ash tree. This project was
conceived by Steven Strompf to keep the
spirit of a very special tree alive. The tree
grew in front of an elementary school his
children attend in Tenafly, New Jersey. This
beautiful 75-foot tree has watched over
children for many generations. This piece,
along with work from thirteen other
prestigious woodturners, is part of a
collection belonging to “The Children’s Tree
and Art Foundation, Inc.”
This foundation was created to protect the
works of art created from this tree, as well
as develop and enrich the lives of children
through art and culture.
White Ash Tree Project
White ash, turned and carved
7” x 9”
28

31. Neil Kagan
Falls Church, VA
The Secret Rose
Cherry, turned and carved
4” x 6” x 6”
“The Secret Rose” is turned and carved the ultimate symbol of love, the flower that
from a cherry tree which was cut down by a connects the essence of the natural world
neighbor because it threatened to fall on his with the human heart. “The Secret Rose” is
home. I discovered the cherry logs left by a turned box with a lid carved into a stylized
the curb waiting to be carted off and ground rose. Upon opening the box, a second rose
into mulch. is revealed on the underside of the lid. If
you turn the box over, the secret of the
The design was inspired by Portland’s Rose
rose’s growth is revealed – unfurling pedals
Garden. The rose reflects the emotional
in a spiral pattern.
connection between people and nature. It is
29

32. Neil Kagan
Falls Church, VA
Wedding Flower
Ambrosia maple, turned and
carved
11.5” x 13.5” x 11”
Wedding Flower was turned and carved happiness, and fertility. The turned and
from a found log. I noticed the telltale carved flower is similar to the one I made
streaks of the ambrosia beetle in the wood for my daughter and husband for a wedding
and rescued several choice pieces that gift—created from the other half of the same
would have ended up in the dump or in maple log. It is another example of turning
someone’s fireplace. wood destined for destruction into a symbol
of life—a kind of eternal bloom.
In Chinese culture, flowers are not only
objects of beauty, but symbols of life,
30

33. Ed Kelle
Glen Head, NY
The Fragile
A continuation of my Coral Series, this piece nature and how a seemingly small change Sugar maple, turned and carved
demonstrates the bleaching effect occurring can produce drastic results. Made from
11” x 1.5”
within coral reefs throughout the world, salvaged sugar maple, the gentle rocking of
which are mainly caused by global climatic the platter implies this delicate balance. The
change and increased UV radiation. The small wood fibers identify the material as
result is that the color producing algae living wood, while also providing a reference to
within the corals are not able to survive, the algae present in real coral.
leaving only the bare coral skeletons. The
platter demonstrates the fragile balance of
31

34. Glenn
, Krueg
Newark, CA
Bamboo Maze
Top row, left to right: carob, carbonized bamboo, palm A sustainable eco-friendly exhibit with
nut with African blackwood top, cork oak, tagua nut carbonized bamboo box, natural bamboo
and blackwood, Honduras rosewood burl, spalted shelves and background, all leftover pieces
tamarind, popcorn cob with blackwood, and curly from a flooring project. The back panel is
minneritchie. Bottom row, left to right: cocobolo,
recycled chipboard. Miniature pieces are
afzelia lay, bamboo, blackwood, brown box elder,
spalted tamarind, orange box elder, and black palm from tree prunings, sustainable agricultural
products, palm nuts, shorts and cut-offs
8.5” x 14” x 2.25”
unusable for manufacturing. All pieces are
finished with natural waxes.
32

35. Alan Lacer
River Falls, WI
This is one of a series I have done for
about 10 years. The box holds around 2
pounds of normal length pasta (about 10”
in length). I chose this wood for the
“Turning Green” exhibit based on a unique
property of the wood: in strong light the
color turns to a rich green. Finding wood
that is truly green is a real challenge—and
this wood has the unique property of being
quite photo reactive. If the light level is low,
the green color reverts back to a more
golden color; placed back into strong light
the green color returns in several days.
Russian Chameleon Spaghetti Box
Palo Santo (or also called “vera wood”)
12.5” x 4”
33

36. Dale Larson
Gresham, WA
This is the last end of an old growth Douglas
fir beam that was full of nails and holes. It
was 12” by 14” in size and about 24” long.
In looking at the good end of the beam, I
could see two possible bowls. I thought it
was a good use for a second life for this old
beam.
Two Bowls
Old growth Douglas fir
4.75” x 13.25” and 5” x 13”
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37. Normand Lavoie
Woodstock, GA
Storm damage and development have
created a supply of wood for much of my
turnings. But this “plain Jane” wood has
forced me to be more creative, and for this I
am grateful.
A lot of attention is given to the exotics and
rare woods that are endangered species,
and while they have a place in woodturning,
I believe more consideration should be
given to local timber that is not endangered.
Trees such as red maple, poplar, sweet gum,
sycamore, American beech, white ash, black
cherry, and black walnut are self sustaining
when the mortality and removal rates are
compared to the growth rates per year. On
the other hand, Africa and South America,
where much turning wood comes from,
have the majority of the world's endangered
trees and diminishing timber stocks. For
these reasons, I chose to use poplar and
black cherry for my piece.
Merlot
Tulip poplar, turned, carved, and dyed
9” x 6.75” x 6.75”
35

38. Kristin LeVier
Moscow, ID
“Turning Green” challenged me to find a
way to represent growth and life using
scavenged and recycled (scrap wood),
recyclable (aluminum), and environmentally
sound (milk paint) materials. I chose to give
a bundle of mismatched shop scraps new
life as a modern tree, newly emerging from
winter dormancy, to celebrate the springtime
birth of my baby daughter. The trunk and
leaves of the lamp are turned from glued-up
scrap wood: each is made up of two or
three glued-up layers, with the exception of
a few leaves that were turned from an
abandoned chair leg discovered in my
basement.
Petra Incandescent
Maple, 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

39. Robin Liles
Griffin, GA
Gualala
Cherry burl with pierced sculpting
epoxy rim
.75” x 12.5”
The title comes from the Gualala River in they could use the river as a way of rivers. Sometimes entire local ecosystems
northern California. It roughly translates to transporting the logs to saw mills were lost forever. When the railroad and
“where the water flows down.” It was downstream. Logging in this way was road systems expanded, that type of log
common practice prior to the mid-1900s for profitable, but the damage left behind was transportation all but stopped. But,
timber companies to clear cut tracts of old often irreversible. Erosion took large unfortunately, logging of old growth timber
growth forest next to large rivers so that amounts of fertile topsoil and put it into the continues today.
37

40. Bill Luce
Renton, WA
Reunion
Douglas Fir, interior sandblasted The title refers to the fact that the bowls material. The finish used on these pieces is
come from a pair of joined trees that were minimal.
5.5” x 5.25” x 5”
blown over in a storm and are now together
5” x 6” x 5.75” The larger chainsaws used for tree removal
again. Douglas fir is not generally considered
and cutting were operated with a vegetable-
suitable for woodturning because it is
based bar oil instead of petroleum-based
challenging to work with. These pieces were
oil. The smaller trimming was done with an
turned to completion while the wood was
electric chainsaw also using biodegradable
green and fresh. Through careful tool work,
oil.
sanding was minimal - mostly wet sanding
to minimize airborne dust. Inside was The shavings from the pieces are used for
textured by blasting with recycled crushed weed control in the garden, eventually
glass in a cabinet fitted with a reclaimer that becoming humus.
completely recycles and reuses the blasting
38

41. E. Lundburg
Benicia, CA
Benicia is a small town packed with history
and lots of ghosts. A vessel from the wood
of a town’s historic camphor trees removed
for commercial development emerges from
mud and rock embedded with century-old
bits and pieces of heavy-footed ghosts. This
piece merges the saga of early California
development told through its trash with the
current tale of a historic town’s camphor
trees.
Rising (Again) through Our Artifacts
Salvaged wood and century-old trash, turned, carved,
and hollowed. Historic artifacts are embedded into the
carved wood, while others are mounted on a thinly
turned wood platform surrounding and supporting the
main element.
12” x 8” x 8”
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42. Mike Mahoney
Orem, UT
Thin to Win
Mormon poplar
Green wood used in this calabash bowl
lends itself to cutting thinner than dry wood.
8” x 18”
If the grain is oriented correctly, the bowl
will warp into a balanced organic shape that
doesn't resemble a turning but looks more
like a nut shell.
40

43. Alain Mailland
Uzes, France
Bonsai #4
I gather my roots on forest walks. The Heather root, turned, carved, and
heather roots I find will eventually be sandblasted
destroyed over time, so I use them before 5” x 8” x 6”
they disintegrate and disappear. The bonsai
symbolizes my love for the tree and the
rainforest—from the root to the top of the
tree.
41

44. James McClure
Cantonment, FL
Ornamental Nuisance;
Beautifully Ornamental This trio of pieces is intended to bring Chinese tallow tree is fast growing, fast
awareness to the problem of non-native spreading, and is a nuisance because it
Chinese tallow tree plants that become environmental eventually monopolizes an area and
10” x 15” x 12” nuisances. Nuisance plants spread quickly, completely replaces native vegetation. This
crowd out native plants, and in some cases ornamental tree has colorful autumn foliage,
cause economic as well as environmental can survive full sunlight, shade, flooding,
damage. One example is the Chinese tallow drought, and sometimes even fire.
tree. It was introduced in the U.S. in the Fortunately, in this case, this particular
1700s and has spread throughout the nuisance tree was removed and turned into
southeastern United States and beyond. The objects of beauty.
42

45. Mary McKinney
Crestwood, KY
Black Pearl
Epoxy, turned, carved, with paint-
ed cherry base
6” x 8” x 3”
The “Turning Green” theme inspired a new- for me. This sculpture was turned and
found consciousness and appreciation for carved from epoxy, a man-made material.
the resources we use as turners. It provided The base was turned and carved from
inspiration to turn materials I had not cherry recovered from a tree which had to
previously worked with, and resulted in the be removed due to storm damage.
discovery of a new and interesting resource
43

46. William Moore
Hillsboro, OR
JUROR
Equilibrium
Maple burl, copper, and bronze In creating Equilibrium, I was interested in
exploring balance and a sense of
11.5” x 23.5” x 13.25”
movement. The piece was created from a
Photo by Dan Kvitka
combination of multi-axis turned big leaf
maple burl, a native Oregon species, and
spun copper.
44

47. John Noffsinger
Annandale, VA
This piece was turned entirely from local
trimming and storm damaged woods. The
main body of “Grasshouse #360” is red
maple from Pelham Farm, Middleburg,
Virginia. Hence the word Pelham engraved
on the base, as is with all pieces turned
from the tree which stood near the farm’s
main house. In 2002, dying from disease,
this magnificent burled tree was scheduled
to be cut down. I arranged to save the main
portion for a series of woodworks that
would carry the Pelham name. The farm
was named after Major John Pelham of
historical Civil War fame who camped his
artillery division at this site for some time.
Knowing the story and also the tree itself, I
consider it quite a privilege to work this
wood. The upper T-handle and tuft at the
bottom of the lid are turned and carved
from a black cherry tree that was downed in
a storm not a mile from the Pelham tree.
The grasshouse theme was inspired by
man’s primitive architectural roots. Reflecting
upon a time when life was seemingly
simpler and a home was constructed of
local growth and materials, the Grasshouse
Series mimics this with the warm feeling of
a home built from man’s simple needs and
from his local surroundings.
Grasshouse #360
Red maple and black cherry,
turned and carved with pyrography
and dye
6.5” x 6” x 6”
45

48. Craig Nutt
Kinston Springs, TN
The ever-growing mound of obsolete
computer equipment in the corner of my
office suggests that returning consumer
goods to the environment is more
challenging than manufacturing them.
Having made a chair from a tree and now
having attempted to make a tree (or at
least a credible piece of firewood) from a
chair, I can attest that it takes as much effort
to put the chair back as to take it out.
Perhaps Joyce Kilmer had it right.
TR E ES
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 his
work, “Trees and Other Poems.”
Make a Tree from a Chair
Oak chair, deconstructed, laminated, turned, and
carved
35” x 16” x 13”
46

49. Pascal Oudet
Rue du Moulin, France
Before It’s Too Late
Turned, hollowed, carved and
scorched live oak (quercus ilex)
6” x 6”
It’s quite sinister and not very friendly, isn’t biodiversity. People are not at ease when
it? For me, turning green is about ecology looking at this piece, and if it can cause
and protecting our planet. It could become them to think just a few seconds of how
as welcoming as this one, if we continue to their own behavior can have an influence
waste its natural resources and destroy its on our future, I would be successful.
47

50. Ross Paterson
Chilliwack, BC, Canada
Parallel Universe
Parallam, turned, carved and dyed The concept of utilizing a piece of salvaged material, the trunk of a tree. It features the
construction material to produce a turning typical saddle shape, natural bark edge and
4” x 9.5”
intrigued me. A piece of parallam left over the sapwood/heartwood found on such
from a house renovation project was the pieces. Turning green brings the wood in
perfect material. Parallam has its own this piece full circle, from a natural tree,
unique pattern due to the way that the broken down into wood fibres and
wood fibres are compressed together. This manufactured into a man-made material,
piece was designed to emulate a now reformed into a “natural” woodturning.
woodturning made from the original
48

51. George Peterson
Lake Toxaway, NC
Large Bowl
For me, turning has always been about designs. The gentle undulations in the rim Red maple, turned and sewn
economizing. I use only non-endangered, of this bowl are a result of the wood with waxed linen thread
locally harvested trees, and everything I distorting as it dries out, as is the crack and 20.5” x 7”
make is roughed out while the wood is still subsequent repair. This movement plays an
green. For the professional, using local trees important role when I consider a shape, as
and turning the wood while still wet are different profiles, thickness, grain orientation,
obvious ways of saving energy and money. and species all play along with each other in
But, I think the most rewarding thing about the final piece.
using green wood is the way it affects my
49

52. Gary Pollard
Greenview, CA
The walnut wood portion was rescued from
a windfall tree destined for the fireplace and
the black walnuts were collected at night
when the squirrels were asleep. The primary
material used for this piece is walnut shells,
which is a renewable resource requiring
neither fossil fuels to harvest nor does it
deplete our forests of timber.
For the Squirrels
Walnut wood and shells
6” x 5”
50

53. Sterling Sanders
Sandpoint, ID
“Two Trees Thanked Me” is constructed
primarily of cement. Like wood, it is a
natural material which comes from the
earth. As wood artists, we create objects
knowing they have a limited lifespan. Unlike
trees which will eventually turn to dust,
cement has the potential to last virtually
forever. Sycamore shavings from a tree
destined for the landfill were added to
infuse the spirit of the earth as it is
expressed in the tree. No trees died for this
work.
Two Trees Thanked Me
Cement and sycamore shavings
10.5” x 3.75”
51

54. Heidi Schwegler
Portland, OR
JUROR
Trim
White bronze
There is no such thing as a gift that is given these gift-standbys end up in piles on the (Heidi Schwegler is a professor of metals at
without the expectation of a return, whether shelves of Goodwill, completely discarded, the Oregon College of Art & Craft. As such,
a reciprocal gift or a gesture of love. There is deflated and dead. she brought the perspective of an artist
an economy to gift giving. This ritual is from another media to the jury process for
Objects in my recent work have included
situated in commerce, and there are specific this exhibit.)
wax-covered balloons that no longer float,
objects (clichés) and techniques marketed
slumped gift bows cast in white bronze and
in our culture as expressions of grief and
teddy bears made of stiff raffia. By altering
replacements of love—a white teddy bear, a
form and materiality I have rendered these
dozen roses, helium filled balloons, a tightly
gifts, gift accessories, and party favors
shrink-wrapped gift basket with fruit and
useless.
lotion buried in a nest of raffia. Many of
52

55. Curt Theobald
Pine Bluffs, WY
When thinking about the “Turning Green”
theme, I was struck with the notion that
applying green practices in one area can
often have a negative effect on another
natural resource. My choice of acrylic for the
exhibit typifies this observation. While no
trees were used for the turnings, many of
the synthetic polymers used in the
production of acrylic are harmful to the air
we breathe. We need to be sensitive to
conserving our natural resources and be
aware of what causes their depletion. After
all, who doesn’t want good water to drink
and clean air to breathe?
Tread Lightly
Segmented acrylic
3” x 2.75”
53

56. Bill Tilson
Huntsville, TX
Flower Vase #180
Elm burl and hickory
4” x 7” x 7”
Wanting to turn as green as possible, a vase (petals). The veneer was seconds,
minimal amount of wood plus fallen, cutoffs, or unusable discarded wood from
recycled or discarded wood was used. To an aircraft plywood manufacturer who was
further save wood, exotic elm burl veneer going to burn it. The hickory was felled by a
was used instead of a solid blank for the beaver.
54

57. Gerrit Van Ness
Mount Vernon, WA
Tossed Green
Maple, poplar, turned and carved,
with burl shavings, dye, and paint
10” x 13” x 16”
Here is a green salad, all from salvaged fork handles from a firewood pile; and the
wood: burl “leaves” from coring burl hollow bowl was turned from a reject blank taken
forms; scraps of wood from the floor for from a scrap heap. Bon appetit!
tomatoes, cucumber bits, and olives; salad
55

58. Derek Weidman
Green Lane, PA
This piece is from a series of wooden
mannequins I have been working on, in which
each one represents a knight under an
unconventional banner. This figure is the
Green Knight, and instead of standing for
chivalry and righteousness, like the more
common white knight, he is fighting for the
environment and conservation. Like all knights,
his main purpose is protection, and in his
case the precious ecosystems fall under his
vigil. His armor, made of wood, leaves, and
sticks, is symbolic of his oneness with nature,
to the point that the hardships of the planet
have affected him negatively. As apposed to
spring green of the leaves that made up his
armor when the world was fresh and new,
they have begun to change with the times,
taking on the color of fall. He is a staunch
defender of the environment showing wear in
the eleventh hour, as the planet may plunge
into a true global winter. Our time is racing
past us to start making important decisions,
and I hope this piece helps cast
environmentalism into the noble light it
deserves and needs to be in.
The piece was turned, carved, and painted,
and then joined together in the conventional
manner in which mass produced wooden
figures are made. It was made of small
pieces, which was perfect for the theme
because scraps can actually be used instead
of needing a large piece of timber that a solid
carved figure would require.
Knight Fall
Mahogany, boxwood, turned, carved, and acrylic paint
12” x 3.5” x 2”
56

59. John Williams
New Hope, PA
Recycle-A-Bowl
This bowl is made from the smallest of four Cherry, turned, pyrography, airbrushed acrylics
cores from a large bowl blank.
6.75” x 1.75”
The international recycling symbol is
repeated six times around the rim of the
bowl. Recycling is a significant strategy for
keeping our environment “green.” The
red/orange texture of random swirls and
flow lines represent the nature of our
warming planet.
57

60. Helga Winter
Port Townsend, WA
Untitled
Madrone crotch with chainsaw
edge, bleached and waxed
15” x 14” x 5.5”
Photo by Frank Ross
This madrone crotch was harvested from a
tree that was severed in a windstorm four
weeks prior to being turned into a shell-like
vessel, while the wood was still quite green.
Using wood from fallen trees helps save our
forests.
58

61. Malcolm Zander
Ottawa, ON, Canada
I Love Yew
& I Love Yew Two
Pacific Northwest yew, turned and
carved with natural oil finish
3.5” x 2.75” (both pieces)
Few woods could be more emblematic of The bottom line is that trees and plants are key role by giving us this product, a very
the theme of this symposium than yew. The a unique source of medically valuable complex molecule which no one would
bark of the yew tree contains Taxol products, many of which are yet to even be ever have dreamed up on their own. It is
(“Paclitaxel”), a valuable anticancer drug, found. This is a very powerful argument for now made semi-synthetically; annual sales
first isolated from a yew tree near Mt. St. preserving biodiversity. Who knows how of Taxol in 2000 were $1.6 billion!
Helens. Taxol is a lifesaver for people many more Taxols are out there?
These two woodturnings were made from a
suffering from lung, ovarian, and breast
In the case of the Pacific yew, Taxol is single small piece of found yew. The heart
cancer. Trees and plants are able to produce
produced in only small quantities in the form is of course representative of love.
numerous unique medically active products
bark, so there are insufficient trees to satisfy Which one is the female partner and which
far more efficiently than any human scientist
our need. However, the tree has served its the male is fairly evident.
is able to do.
59

62. Jury Statements
William Moore Heidi Schwegler
I am honored to have been invited to be a In order to jury such a large amount of
co-juror of “Turning Green,” and wish to work, I felt it was necessary to adhere to a
thank the AAW for the opportunity. As jurors, predetermined set of criteria. Included in
we each brought our own perspective to this paradigm was work that struck me as
the process, and as a result, we have a formally and/or conceptually intriguing, or
richly diverse exhibition. work that showed a clear yet clever
investigation of material and process dealing
John Jordan I was looking for objects which creatively
with the notion of ‘green’.
explored the theme of “Turning Green” or
The word "green" has several specific as expanded beyond its usual definitions Formally, I found the seeming simplicity of
well as implied meanings, and we saw a (turning green wood or producing work in Cliff Guard, James McClure and Michael
number of those meanings applied to the an environmentally sensitive way). I was Hample’s turned bowls to be aesthetically
work submitted for this exhibition. The also looking for objects that were well pleasing and technically well done. There
entries covered everything from "green" crafted and coherent in form and concept, were quite a few entries that dealt with the
colored wood, to the use of "green wood" which is to say all aspects of the object notion of green by not turning wood. A few
as a material, to the "green"/environmental served to convey the idea. I enjoyed the that utilized some of these alternative
aspects of turning, which were applied in a process of reviewing the work submitted materials in an effective manner include
number of different ways. and discussing with the other jurors what Sterling Sanders’ turned cement piece “Two
each of us saw in the pieces. I came away Trees Thanked Me,” and Curt Theobald’s
We have selected pieces for the show that from the process impressed with the quality segmented acrylic bowl “Tread Lightly.”
we feel fit some interpretation of "green," of the work submitted. While I enjoyed Coming from a jewelry/metalsmithing
and also have thoughtful, considered design seeing many applicants exploring sculptural background, I couldn’t help but be struck by
along with skilled craftsmanship and ideas in their work, I was surprised not to the works of Malcolm Zander and Dewey
execution, and appropriate use of materials. see more classic turned wood bowls. Garrett as visually elegant in their delicate
I enjoyed seeing all of the applications, and and almost jewelry-like quality.
I hope the exhibition will challenge you to
gave much thought and consideration to “think green.” Before actually seeing the submitted work, I
each entry. I feel that everyone that applied was concerned that it would be challenging
should be proud, after all, there were many William Moore
to jury a show not having had any
who weren't willing to put their work out experience with the medium. In the end
there—it's not always an easy thing to do. To however, I was free to respond to the work
those that were not selected, please don't on a purely formal and intuitive level.
be discouraged, it's only one show. I thank
each of you for being willing to share your Heidi Schwegler
work.
John Jordan
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64. Published by the American Association of Woodturners—June 2007
Prepared by Bill Haskell, Exhibitions Chair
and
Jean LeGwin, Publications Chair
Printed by Upfront Printers