May Newsletter
Teaching at Peters Valley
This past weekend I taught a two-day workshop at Peters Valley on spindle-turning. We worked on bud vases and apothecary jars, which are really just wood-turned boxes with a stopper-style lid.
Here are some scenes from the workshop, including student work.
For my vase demo, I worked with maple and took advantage of the wide selection of milk paint they have to add some color. I finished it up at home with a wax finish.
The apothecary demo piece will also get some milk paint, but first it needs some finishing cuts. The wood is ash and with its open grain, the milk paint should highlight its texture. I think I’ll do a few different colors.
Being a visiting faculty member, I was invited to participate in their Making Matters exhibition that opens next month. For that I made a large apothecary with 4 different woods included in the final piece. The body is curly maple, and the top is mahogany, elm burl, maple and dyed oak. It’s the most elaborate jar that I have ever made. I even added a small finial detail on the underside of the lid.
I made a few different versions of all the components before finalizing the design. At first I was worried that it wasn’t elaborate enough, so I made a pedestal for it to sit on, but it took the piece too far away from the concept of an apothecary jar. In the end, I felt that a bold and elaborate top should be the focal point and that a decorative base would only take away from that.
During the workshop, one student asked me, “What’s the one thing that you always forget to tell students?” Her question really stumped me at the time because I try to think of everything beforehand. I put a lot of thought and preparation into my teaching materials and lessons. But I kept thinking about her question. At the end of our workshop, we gathered for a final review. I asked each student to share their work and talk about what went well and what parts were most challenging. A couple people spoke about how design was something that they struggled with and I realized that different people’s experience with design is the thing that I forget to account for. I have had a lot of training in design but not everyone has and for some of my students, the act of craft is what brought them to my workshop. Design is not critical, making things is enough, and I should work on being mindful of that and do more to meet my students where they are.
Upcoming Events:
May 31, Art in the Open: A Regional Artisans' Fair, West Nyack, NY
Upcoming Workshops:
June 23 - 27 Summer Youth Program at Brookfield Craft Center
July 18th Turn a Wooden Bud Vase at Brookfield Craft Center
Works on View:
Turning 20 at Brookfield Craft Center, May 3rd - July 6th, 2025
Making Matters at Peters Valley, June 14th - August 3rd, 2025
Shop:
Etsy - I currently have a few things available in my Etsy Shop - acornwoodshop
Rivertown General in Dobbs Ferry
Peters Valley Gallery and Shop in Layton, NJ
Brookfield Craft Gallery Shop in Brookfield, CT
The federal blue milk paint is a great color!