Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Flight to USA ...

We left Cape Town on 16 June 2007 bound for the USA to visit the Utah Woodturning Symposium in Provo, just South of Salt Lake City and the AAW National Symposium that is being held this year in Portland Oregon


Gigi checking e-mails in the international departure hall at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg

We flew Emirates to Dubai, leaving Johannesburg at about 14h00 and arrived in Dubai about 20h00 (SA Time). We were actually about an hour late leaving Jo'burg so had to make a very rapid transit to the 24h00 (SA Time). The next leg was interesting. Pity it was in the dark or totally cloud covered so we didn't see anything passing over Iran, Turkey, Poland, N Denmark, S Norway, Nwefoundland - finally getting to see Long Island and the Manhattan Skyline just before we landed at JFK International (17 June, 13h50 SA Time - 07h50 NY time). We slept well on both legs and were rearing to go when we hit NY. We checked in our bags with Delta (blues) for the leg to Salt Lake City and took the Airtrain and subway (E line) from JFK to 42nd St in Manhattan. We emerged close to the 42nd St and Broadway walked around Time Square for a while and off back to JFK.

Time Square!

Who would have believed it!

Interesting but definitely not my favourite place on the planet - it sure can't touch Mana Pools or even central Cape Town













Hard Rock Cafe

























































































Gigi on Broadway!




















































































Taking pics of other tourists for them with their own cameras






































































































Ripley's Odditorium



























Gigi in the subway at 42nd St station

It's about 5 levels of maze

Thanks heavens it is well signposted but the air is pretty foul




























Monday, May 07, 2007

Pictures for American Woodturner Article ...

Here are some pics of more of my own recent pieces for Carl Voss, editor of the American Association of Woodturners Magazine 'American Woodturner', with the hope of some of them being published in an article about 'up-and-comming' woodturners in South Africa.

Carl these are pictures of some recent pieces that I had on exhibition at the 2007 AWSA Conference Gallery in Cape Town.

Some earlier posts, below, show pieces by some other up and comming turners that were exhibited at the same conference gallery.



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Norfolk Island Pine - Araucaria heterophylla

360 mm (h) x 275 mm (dia)














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Norfolk Island Pine - Araucaria heterophylla

approx 250mm (h) x 100mm (dia)














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Cork oak - Quercus suber

xxx mm (h) x 650 mm (dia)

You can see pictures and video clips about turning this bowl here






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Wild olive, Red ivory and elephant tail hair

(Olea europea ssp. africana and Berchemia zeyheri)

205mm (h) x 310mm (l) x 240mm (w)

The 'equatorial' ring around the central sphere is a captive ring. The ring is attached to the outer section by three threads of elephant hair

Thys Carstens Pictures for the AW Article ...

Carl here are pictures of a piece exhibited by Thys Carstens at the recent 2007 AWSA Woodturning Conference for the AW article.



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Carl, this is the piece that Thys would most like featured in the AW article

Bottle

African rosewood, Macadamia, Yellowwood and Amber resin

350 mm (h) x 110 mm (dia)









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Bowl

Pyrographed Brazillian Pepper

300 mm (h) x 140 mm (dia)







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Platter

African rosewood, Macadamia, Yellowwood and Amber resin

600 mm (dia)






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Natural edge bowl

Wild olive

This piece and the one below were donations by Thys for the auction






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Vessel

Yellowood, Pink ivory and copper resin

Peter Nicolle Pictures for AW Article ...

Carl here are pictures of two pieces exhibited by Peter Nicolle at the recent 2007 AWSA Woodturning Conference for the AW article.



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Red ivory, African blackwood and Lemon

Berchemia zeyheri, Dalbergia melanoxylon, Citrus limon

100 mm (h) x 130 mm (dia)






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Jacaranda and Indian rosewood

Jacaranda mimosifolia and Dalbergia sissoo

100mm (h) x 220mm (dia)

Perrie Bullock Picture for AW Article ...

Carl here is a pic of a piece exhibited by Perrie Bullock at the recent 2007 AWSA Woodturning Conference



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Jackaranda - Jacaranda mimosifolia

110 mm (h) x 270 mm (diam)
6 mm wall thickness

The piece was turned wet (about 20mm thick) and allowed to dry for about a year and then re-turned to final finish with 800 sandpaper and 0000 wire wool between 4 coats of Woodock 10 and finally wax. 3.

Perrie has been turning for about 10 years since retiring in between spells of business commitments. He is particularly attracted to hollow forms in various shapes and especially the flatter form as in this case. He also make pens, pepper grinders, natural edge bowls and lamp stands. His ambition is to incorporate attractive features into his work and attempting to move it more into 'art' form. He has attended all AWSA congresses since 1998 and the AWBG Congress in 2003.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Clyde Neumann Pictures for AW article ...

Carl here are pictures of a Clyde Neumann piece for the AW article.


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75mm x 460mm

Parana pine - Araucaria angustifolia










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John Wessels Pictures for AW article ...

Carl here are pictures of John Wessels pieces for the AW article.
I have loaded the pictures in the format you require for publication and have annotated them with the text that John sent me.

Now that the AWSA Conference is over I have moved them here to my regular woodturning blog as John has requested, as it doesn't matter that others see the pieces that he exhibited at the Conference. The last five pictures are of the magnificient piece that won best on show at last weekend's 2007 AWSA Conference.

The small pics on the blog are about 11-16Kb.

However if you click on each image (of the turnings)a larger image will open. Use 'Shift Click' in Explorer or 'Ctrl Click' if you're using Firefox to open the larger version in a separate window. Once the pic is open, do a 'Right click' and 'Save as' to save the larger image to your PC. Most of the larger pics are about 1000Kb or 1Mb. DSC_5150.jpg for example is 1413 x 1200 = 1.7 MegaPixels in size or 4.71 x 4 inches(this equates to 300 dpi) and the file size is 1,369Kb or 1.369 Mb in size. This meets the requirements for images that you e-mailed to us.

Here is the info John provided me with,

"I am a retired airline pilot. I also did a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and worked for five years in this field. I flew for South African Airways for 30 years. My wife Jane and myself live on a farm on the coast near a village called Wilderness. Cape Town is five hours drive from my home. Woodturning started in my school year at the age of 15. I have always enjoyed working with wood.

Last year I turned 'Birth' and 'Lizard' for the 2006 AWSA Congress. The idea of pewter came from a local craft market where pewter was put on to candle holders. When I was ten years old, I did pewter lessons with my mother, and this all started me thinking.

For the 2007 AWSA Congress, I have made Twin 2007 and a few other pieces.

'Apples – a Baker’s Dozen' has been made to cover the requirements of Schalk’s Challenge. The use of both faceplate and spindle turning.

As a result of offcuts of the Red Ivory and veneer and a drink with Dave Stephenson, a fellow turner, at his home near ours, we came up with the idea of salt and pepper mills. Thus we now have 'Friends'. The Red Ivory 2007 bowl I made in 2000. It was re-sanded and polished and thus qualifies as a second Schalk’s Challenge piece."

John Wessels
Wilderness, March 2007.

'Schalk's Challenge' is a theme set each year by Schalk van Niekerk. This year, 2007, pieces entered for 'Schalk's Challenge' must comprise at least a faceplate turned component and two identical spindle turned pieces.


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Birth, 2006

200 mm dia x 55 mm H

African Blackwood railtie and Red Ivory with pewter

"This piece won John the award for 'best on show' at the 2006 AWSA Conference"


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Lizard, 2006

530 mm dia x 10 mm thickBlue gum burl and pewter lizard













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Close-up of 'Lizard'








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Closer-up of 'Lizard'
















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Apples – a Baker’s Dozen
, 2007

120mm x 480 mm

Bird’s Eye Maple, Curly Maple, Red Ivory, (Ash, Walnut, Wenge)-veneer





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Apples

50 – 60 mm H x 60 – 75 mm dia

Apples: 2 x Red Ivory, Cocobolo, Coolibah Burl, Stinkwook Burl, Wild Olive, Terbalnche. Big Leaf Maple Burl, Macassar Evony, Pepper Tree Burl, African Blackwood, Spalted Ironwood, and an unknown burl from my mother’s garden.


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Twin, 2007

55mm x 200 mm

African Blackwood railtie and Coolibah Burl with Pewter.






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Twin, 2007










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Twin, 2007

Underside








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Twin, 2007

Underside















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Twin, 2007

Underside















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Friends, 2007

320mm x 60 m (salt & pepper)

60mm x 255 mm (blowl)

Curly Maple, Red Ivory, African Blackwood (Ash, Walnut and Wenge veneer)









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Friends, 2007

Close up








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Friends, 2007

Close up








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Friends, 2007

Close up








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Brother and Sister, 2007

105mm x 65 mm (Brother)

60mm x 100 mm (Sister)
African Blackwood railtie and Wild Olive with pewter.





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Brother and Sister, 2007









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Black Magic, 2007

45mm x 165mm

Ebony with pewter






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Vineyard, 2007

70mm x 235 mm


Blue gum burl and Hard Pear with pewter









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Fire and Motion - 2007

720mm (diam) x 100mm (ht)

Ekki, Red Ivory, Pewter and Gold leaf

Best on show - 2007 Association of Woodturners of South Africa (AWSA) Conference



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Fire and Motion - Reverse side

Here is the 'fire'









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And the following three pictures show the 'motion'

The piece nestles in a shallow open vessel in which it rotates. The base of the vessel is a slightly domed red ivory disc. The vessel is lined with a piece of thin felt.





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and it spins











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and spins

and that's the 'motion'