Instruction Options -- Long
Rodney,
I'm not sure where you are located, but my first recommendation
would not be a "named" woodturner. I would recommend a community college turning program. You get all the basics, various projects to work through, and anywhere from 11 to 18 weeks of instruction.
Here in southern California, Cerritos College provides a basic woodturning course for about $100, every Sunday for five hours for 15 weeks. We used school Jet Mini lathes, school tools, and turned basic bowls, baby rattles, lidded boxes, snowmen, christmas trees, candlesticks, and a couple other things I've forgotten. We also used the buffing system to buff out the bowls after applying a tung oil finish.
The advanced class covers hollowing and segmented turning. (Same price and also 15 weeks).
Does the school give me the opportunity to turn an 18" platter or bowl? No.
Does it provide the safety instruction I need to keep from getting myself hurt? Yes.
It has also corrected some of my misconceptions of form design as well as desired function for pieces. (You mean a lidded box should 'pop'? Why should the lid be easy to handle?)
Once you have the all-around instruction, then you go to a particular woodturner for their specialty.
Ellsworth is great at natural edged bowls and more specifically using his grind. He can certainly teach you how to work through that and turn "his" way.
JoHannes Michelsen (http://www.WoodHat.com) can teach you how to turn a hat.
BinHo can teach you about thin walled vessels and texturing.
Andi Wolfe will cover pyrography and texturing.
Wherever you go for the all-around instruction, you will need time for the skills to sink in as you practice. I see it all the time in the technology field. We send out a programmer to learn a new language in a week and expect great things. What he gets is a crash course and overview and then spends the next year working through or converting code to the new language, having forgotten most of what was poured into him during his five days in training.
If you're really set on an excellerated course, I recommend the one in Virginia or Tennesee (I can't remember the name sorry its in the Appalachian's somewhere as I understand it.) but it is a well known a craft school. They do furniture as well as woodturning and it goes from 1-3 weeks I think. You should see the advertisement in the back of the AAW or FWW mags. You can also go to Bill Grumbine in PA. I've used his video, but I've heard great things about his instruction and demonstrations.
For videos:
Mike Mahoney - "FROM THE TREE TO THE TABLE" - Good bowl turning as well as platter work.
Bill Grumbine - I've seen his first video and it covers most everything on bowl turning. A very good resource and funny too.
Other Options:
Seriously consider going to either the Utah Symposium or the AAW Symposium. The number of turners instructing, the ability to ask questions, as well as interact with others and seeing the Instant Gallery up close will open you mind to a number of possibilities you hadn't considered before. Of the four demonstrators listed above, I saw three at the Pasadena AAW Symposium in 2003 and about 6 others including Chris Stott. Very worth my time and money.
Also check for your nearest AAW Chapter. Mine has demos most months and challenges for different types of turning which expand our horizons.
Whatever you choose I hope it meets your needs and helps to expand you love of woodturning. All the best.