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sofa

Charlie Knighton

Charlie Knighton

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i was looking at the outstanding turnings of the sofa event, and i have not looked at but maybe half the list of turners, one thing has struck me, the portfolio of each tuner is a series of the same type of turning.... its like the turner has a signature style and the turner for this event does only that one style even if they have 7 or 8 turnings in the event.... is this normal or am i imagining it

http://www.delmano.com/artists/index.htm
 
You are absolutely correct in your observations. For an artist, it is essential to have a recognizable unique signature body of work. An artist will likely spend a great deal of time (and money) to do so. Often, it takes many years. That is why an artist will not appreciate it if you copy his or her work and offer it for sale. It would be like Ford building a Porsche clone - logos & all - and selling it for a fraction of what a real one costs.

On the other hand, many artists will teach and encourage you to copy their styles as a means to learn technique. But the assumption is that you will return the favor by refraining from competing with him or her.

Each of us is unique and your work, once you have developed technique, should be just as unique as are you. If you wish to sell your work as art, you'll either need to develop your own style or find a gallery that lacks knowledge of the field or has no ethics.

High end work from our field is collected by wealthy patrons, corporations, museums, etc.

SOFA stands for Sculpture Objects and Functional Art. See information on the 2009 Chicago event which ended yesterday (and next year's schedule) here: http://www.sofaexpo.com/
 
Where did you find photos of the work. I've been looking and can't find any.
Great comments Steve. That's about as clear as I've ever heard it stated.
 
where

John

this was the del Mano Gallery, i believe there were more than one gallery involved

click on :

http://www.delmano.com/artists/index.htm

that will bring you to the wood artist

click on the name of the artist you want to look at

then click portfolio which will bring you to the turnings and some detail pictures


i have made it thru the -- J -- i check them 1/2 hour or so but it not a very fast process

living in sw virginia i just wonder what kind of place they have to display all of these turning and the other types of art also must be impressive to see firsthand, the instant galleries that are brought together are in impressive, this sofa might be goal setup for the future 😀
 
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Charlie,
The SOFA show has a maximum of 100 galleries represented from around the world. This year, only 68 participated. Natural selection aka the economy has weeded out the weak. The selection process for the galleries is juried and only the best are chosen. Del Mano has been presenting wood at SOFA for several years. Their selection of artists is rigorous. They displayed the work of 59 artists. Del Mano was the only gallery showing Sam Maloof’s work. Wood in another gallery was the work of Gary Knox Bennett, and the marquertry of Silas Kopf. Most of the galleries showed glass and ceramic. The biggies there in glass were Lino Taglaipietra, Dale Chihuly and my favorite Randy Strong. Thanks to del Mano, wood does not take a back seat at all. Their booth is one of the largest in the show and the work is shown in the best possible way. I was told by more than one person that wood was the star of the show. I believe it. Although sales were soft, the booth was always humming. Last year the attendance was 33,000 plus. A SOFA official told me this year should be close to that but he didn’t have all of the data yet. When you walk through the show, it is obvious there are no seconds. I never saw a single piece that wasn’t museum quality. If you ever have the chance, this show is a must see.
Jerry Bennett
 
i really would like to see it, seems to me that you would need more than a day, its not something you would want to stroll through
 
Jerry's right. Even a full day at the show may not be enough. The smaller no. of galleries this year did make it a little easier to see everything and the work wasn't quite as cramped as in the past. I'm not sure I agree about the "weak" galleries not showing. It's a very expensive show to do. I think booths start around 15k and up- way up. Smaller 'Course you could debate that forever.

Del Mano was a commanding presence and the work there was absolutely top drawer. Too many world class turners to mention. The only other substantial wood gallery, and it showed mainly studio furniture, was William Zimmer and quite frankly I was somewhat underwhelmed with a number of their works- other than the Silas Kopf marquetry pieces. I saw very little wood of any kind elsewhere. The show has always been somewhat glass-centric and this year's was no exception, although it wasn't quite as overpowering as in the past. Of course, the AAW had a booth and there were numerous talks and lectures on divergent aspects of wood and art in general.

One thing worth mentioning, especially for future reference, is the turning demos. There were several each day, lasting an hour or so each, and featured several of those same Del Mano elite showing a bit of their turning technique and talking about their work. 15 bucks admission to see and hear Binh Pho, Steven Hatcher, Steve Sinner (see above) and the like? You can't beat that. Plus You could talk to all these guys (guys being gender neutral) at their displays- at least until a paying customer drags them away.

SOFA also puts on shows coming up in New York and Santa Fe. If you're within driving distance I recommend you go and absorb as much as you can.
Even if you don't care for contemporary art, you can learn a lot and pick up some inspiration along the way. As Steve mentioned, go to sofaexpo.com for more info. They will also have links to the participating galleries- tons of info to be had.
 
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Alan, my reference to "weak" was to their financial prowess. Many galleries have lately bit the dust. Even some large ones. Making the decision to not show at a venue that does not generate a return is smart. I am sure many galleries that that were not at SOFA are in that category. Artists especially in this current economy have to weigh where they spend their show dollars. To be a gallery owner or an artist even in the best of times requires considerable bravery. 🙂
 
AAW at SOFA

The AAW has an exhibit every other year at SOFA, on an alternating schedule with the Collectors of Wood Art. Photos of this year's exhibit, Influence and Inspiration, were posted by Ed Davidson at http://www.woodturner.org/sofa/2009/index.htm and another conversation on SOFA is on the Forum at http://www.aawforum.org/vbforum/showthread.php?t=6679

Below is a more detailed description of the show and the event.

SOFA Chicago is an international art exposition dedicated to bridging the worlds of design, decorative and fine arts. Works by master artists and designers from all over the world were available for sale by premier galleries and dealers at the annual early November show held on Chicago’s Navy Pier. The 68 galleries and 5 special exhibits attracted over 30,000 attendees over three days.

We are very proud that wood art is well-represented at SOFA Chicago, both in the galleries and in the special exhibits. The AAW alternates with the Collectors of Wood Art every other year in presenting a special exhibit and lecture, and the exposure is fantastic for the artists, the organizations and for the image of the field of woodturning as a whole.

The AAW 2009 exhibit, Influence & Inspiration, brought together the work of 7 emerging woodturning artists and that of their mentors. Participating artists, listed mentor first, were Merryll Saylan/Adrien Segal; the late Frank Sudol/Binh Pho/Joey Richardson; David Ellsworth/Jason Schneider; James Thurman/Keith Lemley; Ray Allen/Curt Theobald; Hans Weissflog/Jakob Weissflog; and Richard Raffan/Benoit Averly.

Binh Pho, Joey Richardson, and Hans and Jakob Weissflog took part in a panel discussion on the mentor/mentee relationship that was moderated by Kevin Wallace, and a paper by Mary Lacer on cultivating the next generation of turners was featured in the SOFA exhibit catalog.

The long hours and extensive planning that went into the exhibit paid off as thousands of visitors streamed through the show, asking questions and marveling at the beauty of the wood and the creativity and skill of the artists. On Friday, art students from surrounding schools came in droves – they asked great questions, and many - inspired by the exhibit - said they would like to try woodturning for themselves. Of particular fascination to many SOFA attendees were two unusual pieces: a plate turned by James Thurman from the laminated pages of an atlas, and a piece by Jason Schneider turned in corrugated cardboard and plaster.

The Chicago Woodturners once again had a fantastic schedule of demonstrations for SOFA. Kay Haskell and Chicago-area turner Carol Floate were stalwart volunteers in the AAW exhibit area. Other exhibit volunteers included Elizabeth Amigo, Bill Haskell, Sherry Hockenbery, and Melinda Wirsing.

Kevin Wallace will be covering the exhibit in an upcoming issue of American Woodturner, and you can learn more about SOFA exhibits at www.sofaexpo.com.
 
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