turning of the week

It is starting to look a lot like Christmas! We do not have snow at the elevation where I live in Hawaii, but I see many lights and decorations all over the Island. This week's honor goes to Jose Esteban Cruz for his work: "Rocking Horse." His picture is perfect; he brought memories of my...

My choice for TOTW for December 9, 2024 is “Basket Illusion” by Mark Fairchild. With a lot of very fine work being posted lately I narrowed down my choices to six, including some seasonal items that would have been appropriate for December. But, I kept returning to Mark’s piece. I don’t have...

I'm filling in for Odie this week. I hope he'll be pleased with my choice. For the glowing finish, spectacular form, beautiful timber, and optional utility, my selection for this week's featured turning is Clayton Thigpen's Bradford Pear Jewelry Box. Clayton, this piece is unbelievably...

My selection for TOW is “Place Your Burdens Here” by @David Bartell. This is the second burden Basket I have seen. The first was posted by David a short while ago. I was attracterd to this piece by the pleasing shape and the story kept me looking. The surface is kept simple with wide rings of...

This week I have selected James Seyfried’s Cherry and Redheart Ornament for two reasons: 1. It is an undeniably gorgeous ornament. The icicle in particular is among the best I’ve ever seen. 2. It’s the season to make gifts for friends and family. I hope you will find inspiration in this piece...

Paul May's "Staircase Study #1" is a great example of thinking outside the box. His use of Walnut segmented pieces carefully placed in the maple to create the illusion of a stairwell the circles around the outside of his vessel is a classic example of an Escher work. Equally important is that...

There have been a large number of nice piece posted to the gallery recently. One of these in particular stood out to me: Forest Floor by Ted Pelfrey. I had the pleasure of seeing this in person a few weeks ago. The details are even more impressive than the photo shows. This was a long term...

When selecting a Turning of the Week, I look for exceptional work that emphasizes the breadth of woodturning. Exceptional photography goes a long way in making my selection when a two-dimensional image depicts a three-dimensional subject. My selection this week, "Woven Seat Stool" by Nino G...

I'm filling in for Emiliano this week, as he's out of town with limited computer access. That said, I wanted to select a featured turning that fulfills his usual 3-F requirements, form, finish, and foto, and landed on the beautiful "Globe Ornament" by Ethan Hoff. Ethan, this piece is quite...

My choice for Turning of The Week for October 14, 2024 is “Ash hollow form” by Alan Weinberg. This is a lovely and well-turned form from an interesting piece of wood. The defects add a lot of character and interest to the piece. Although I chose this piece as the TOTW it is really because I...

It's been a while since one of the many fine basket illusion turnings in the AAW gallery has been chosen for the TOTW. This one by Karl Hansen just got more intricate the closer I looked. Beautifully executed! .....so, it was an easy choice for the next Turning Of The Week....... =o=

My selection for Turning of the week is Walking Mushroom - a collaboration by Tom Hale and Rebecca DeGroot. This is delightful piece evokes the senses of fancy, whimsy, mystery, and motion. It might be from far off world like Pandora or a close to home Wonderland. Just a lot to like about...

Several weeks ago I was invited to fill a slot in the TOTW team. This week is my first pick and I have selected David Bartell’s Critter Series 3 for TOTW. I have long been a fan of David’s work combining minimalistic basket illusion with stunning Texas Mesquite. His new series adds a playful...

Sometimes, the beauty of the wood takes center stage. And William Rogers’ Ambrosia Maple Platter shines brilliantly. William created a form - a shallow platter - that showcased the stunning ambrosia streaks created by the beetle larvae of the same name. Well done, William, on the platter and...

My choice for this week's featured turning is Al Miotke's Laminations Galore. I've long been a fan of Al's work, and this is no exception. This piece is technically challenging, has a great form, flawless finish, and the timber species are thoughtfully chosen to maintain nice colors/contrast for...

Once again, I was on the horns of a dilemma. There are so many wonderful pieces to choose from, how do I choose the "right" one? There was one that I kept coming back to more than the others, but what sealed the deal was when my wife said, "Oh, I really like that one". It was the one that I...

It is my turn once again to choose the TOTW. The honor for the week of August 26, 2024, goes to John Shannon and his beautiful "Turtle Box." African Blackwood is one of my favorite woods; I have done lots of boxes with it, so I can appreciate the work John did here. I have also attempted to do...

My choice for TOTW for August 19, 2024 is “Good Luck Birds” by Curt Fuller. I pretty much like all of Curt’s feather motif pieces, whether used on one of his platters or on a tapered cylinder, as here, to represent the bird’s bodies. His pyrography work is always very creative. But the carved...

There are so many great turnings as of late, that I wish I could pick a dozen......but, this one by Tom Gall caught my eye. Such great burl figuring in this one. The overall shape and details are very pleasing, as well. https://www.aawforum.org/community/media/2024-forum-box-swap.24072/ -o-

My pick for turning of the week for August 5, 2024, is "Cirque de Bois" by Jerry Bennett. Easy for me to select this piece. To say it stands out is an understatement. Not so easy to describe it. I don’t have the words to describe it adequately... Spectacular, incredible, delightful, amazing...