The del Mano Gallery is currently showing its annual exhibit, Turned Wood - Small Treasures. With work from over 60 artists, all of whom are showing technically and aesthetically brilliant work, it would take too long for me to look at them all, so I have chosen just three which caught my eye.
The most original in my opinion is Glenn Krueg's series Asian Temples. These are beautifully executed assemblages, rich in textures, forms and colours. As well as the Asian theme, perhaps they are also temples to the art and craft of woodturning?
Segmented work seldom appeals to me, but William Smith's Spiral Galaxy caught my eye. It makes bold use of colour while its minimalist pattern is very pleasing to the eye. I found no pleasure in Kaleidoscope II or Purple Spiral, but I did find the Emergence series interesting. At first sight I thought that William had used a novel and technically complicated method of assembling just a few pieces of wood. Closer examination shows that it is in fact made from multiple blocks, but the glue lines between similar colour blocks have been disguised by the surface texturing, giving a very pleasing overall effect. There is very little overlap between the blocks and William must have more confidence in the strength of a glued joint than I do.
Finally I want to point out Molly Winton's pyrographed vessels. I was particularly drawn to The Hunt and others on that theme. The beautifully rich colours of the wood contrast so well with the dark pyrographed areas and form the wonderful backdrop for the sketches. The turnings themself have a simple elegance that will stand the test of time.
There are many other marvellous things to see in Turned Wood - Small Treasures so do please go and take a browse. I'd love to know what you liked, so please leave a comment or a trackback from your own blog.
Technorati tags: woodturning, del Mano Gallery, Molly Winton, William Smith, Glenn Krueg, assemblage, pyrography
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