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Freelance Turning Junkyard French Horn is an abstract wood turning musical instrument in the form of a French Horn. The lathe helped in producing the initial form which looked like a long funnel. Then the fun began. I cut segments at various angles and reassembled them with twists and turns. I was able to create curves from previously straight parts. Some may call it Segment Turning. I would call it Freelance Turning as I was not sure how it was going to turn out or if th

Go to www.TheWOWS.com and see what the best wood turners are producing. Each day a group of judges choose a submission rated as Best of the Day. My submission of Fishes Catch The WOW Cover. It is a huge honor when an artist gets the Cover photo and recognition by his peers. The WOWS is an online forum of extraordinary woodturners and artists practicing their craft and sharing ideas. Woodturners openly share ideas and techniques to help others grow their skill set. This i

What is more fun than one fish? It is telling a story with a school of fish and a yellow submarine. The fish and the submarine are wood art pieces that I turn on a lathe. Most items that come off the lathe are perfectly round and not oval as are these items. So how does that happen? This is a technique that I learned in a workshop with a brilliant woodturner and artist Michael Hosaluk. I refer to Michael as the Picasso of woodturning. He makes a piece and then cuts it u

Workshop Experience Fish, Tuba and Sea Cucumber are whimsical wood items from a Workshop with Michael Hosulak. Michael is an incredible wood artist and it was my long term goal to spend several days with him. Finally, in the fall of 2019 Suzanne Boswell of Dovetail Wood Arts and I put together the workshop with six other talented woodturners. I think of Michael as the Picasso of wood turning, To me his art is similar to Cubism. Mike creates a symmetrical form on the lathe

Wooden Musical Instruments Magical Wood Tuba is the first of an abstract wood turning musical instrument in the form of a Tuba. I use a wood lathe to produce the initial shape which is a long funnel. Then I slice segments from the existing form at different angles. I next reassemble the piece with twists and turns to create curves from these previous straight parts. Turners refer to this style as Segment Turning. I think of it as Freelance Turning as I was not sure how it

A Little Fishy for Woodturning is an wood sculpture item that I created in a workshop with Michael Hosulak. Hosulak is an exceptional wood artist that I began to follow when my woodturning journey began in 2009. Even today, his work is so different from what all other master turners are doing. His voice is unique and his style is instantly recognizable. It is whimsical and colorful and the shapes are unlike everything else. Many pieces are downright bizarre. My Wood Turn

Life Cycle Bowl features a piece of Norfolk Island Pine (NIP) wood. In the United States NIP only grows in Florida and Hawaii. I believe that it is the only tree where the branches grow in concentric layers. This is unlike other trees where the branches grow randomly. This piece does not have any knots, but you can see them in this piece. These knots appear as eyes looking out into the world. This Life Cycle Bowl features symbols that tell the story of life on earth. Sym

Remember that elementary school assessment test? We had to decide which picture was correct from a bunch of mixed up images? There was the horse with the cow body, the horse with the antlers and the anatomically correct horse. Here we have components of pencils and bullets. What is the right answer? I made this piece, Assessment Test after visiting Newtown, CT where the horrible shooting a Sandy Hook Elementary School took place. The community reached out to my company

Pretty Woman Zipper Vase is the first in a series of vases with a zipper. The idea came about as a design opportunity when the drying wood vase developed a serious crack. I was not able to give up on the vase because I saw something special developing. I placed the vase on a shelf for several months where I could see it every day. Then one day the solution came to me. I would finish the vase with a zipper. Creative Process The creative process fascinates me on how an ide

This piece is part of my series of zippered vases. Teenager Zipper Vase is colorful and quirky just as many teenagers express themselves in fashion. This Vase is a part of a series of vases that feature a zipper and other elements about fashion and female themes. Teenager Zipper Vase is the third in a series of vases with zippers. The idea for this series started with Pretty Woman which was an accidental design opportunity. The idea came from finding a solution to a crack ap

Description A great deal of my inspiration comes from Mother Nature. These Poppy Seed Pods in vase come off the Wood Lathe. I fabricate them from Madrone wood from California. As this wood dries the cylindrical shape that comes off the lathe distorts. This is exactly the effect I was seeking. Not perfectly round, but asymmetrical. Then each pod goes through a series of processes at the studio bench involving carving, painting and assembly. These secondary processes will

What is a Hollow Form? Dragonfly Vase a Hollow Form Style art piece. Hollow Form is a style of woodturning where the opening at the top is smaller than the diameter of the piece. The concept was developed by David Ellsworth in the early 1970’s. David is a student of ceramics and took an interest in woodturning. In ceramics it is relatively easy to form a small hole at the top of a piece. The artist can manipulate the clay upwards and close the opening. David sought a meth

Description Introducing the Zipper Girls Vase Trio. These pieces are the core of the zipper series which began with Pretty Woman. Each vase represents a unique character, personality and culture in feminine society. Twisted Sister named after the Rock and Roll band is about black leather and metal stud fashion. Skinny Jeans is a tall leggy vase in tight fitting faux denim fabric. Biker Chick represents the Harley Motorcycle culture with leather and steel findings. Design O

Master Woodturner, David Ellsworth invented the Ellsworth Style Hollow Form for woodturning. Previously it was a form that glass blowers and ceramists practiced. David, a student of ceramics thought it would be possible to make this shape with wood. The challenge is that woodturning is a process that removes material. Ceramics and glass adds material and can be manipulated by moving the material around. With a block of wood the turner cannot make the block larger or mak

Design Opportunities Wood Sailboat Regatta is a design opportunity. Design opportunities come at unexpected times when something goes wrong and a change in direction is required. It supports the classic statement, “Make lemonade out of lemons.” While working on a bowl one day it exploded into several pieces. There was a crack hidden in the wood. This is a Holy S… moment. There is a loud bang with pieces going airborne. Experienced turners know to stand to the side of t

Fragile X Carved Vase is a gift for Dr. Randi Hagerman. She is a top research doctor in the at the University of California at Davis. Her team is doing state of the art genetic research. I am a volunteer at the Mind Institute in their research program. I carry a gene that creates a specific protein. Isolating this genetic material shows strong evidence towards successful treatments and potential cures. It is heartbreaking to see these children with limited mental develo

Description As with much of my art, I derive inspiration from Nature. Plants, leaves and seed pods are a consist source for inspiration. I admire the delicate ferns that come up every Spring in our garden. The delicate lace like leaves intrigue me. Then another favorite is the Ginkgo leaf. Is there anyone who does not like the shape of a Ginkgo leaf? I often challenge myself to recreate these wonders of Mother Nature. This Fern and Ginkgo Vase embody my favorite plants.

Description This turning of the Planet Earth Wood Sphere features pyrography, also known as wood burning features symbols for water, land and life. The wooden sphere is freehand turned on a wood lathe. I then spend many hours at my studio bench in Montvale, NJ USA creating the story. With a high wattage pyrography tool I brand symbols into the wood ball. Then I airbrush colors to highlight the symbols. Explore the Planet Earth Wood Sphere and you will discover water, bir

Description My Grandson Oliver has a great interest in Geography and I made this Globe Birthday Gift for him. I turned the wood globe, the base and the ring on a lathe. I enjoy making special gifts for the grandchildren for their birthdays I make a special gift when they turn two years of age. At that time they get a Adirondack Style Chair reflecting their current interests. Oliver was interested in tools and this is his chair . Wood Toys Every culture has been making wo

Center for Art In Wood Museum LeCoff Retirement Gift is a vase for my friend Albert LeCoff, the founder of the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia. I don’t think there is anyone you has done more than Albert to promote Wood Art. I am forever grateful for his support. The Center for Art in Wood is a museum with the largest collection of wood art in the world. I made a visit to the museum during my first year of turning. Albert was at the front desk and welcomed me. We