the BC Council of Forest Industries sponsored an exhibition promoting the uses of hemlock pertaining to furniture and turning. this did tour parts of the US and S.E.Asia. I had 3 pieces involved with it
a 5" dia bowl


a 4" dia lidded container




and a piece titled "Hu". 18"dia and the form comes from the kettles of the Japanese Tea Ceremony


as they are made of steel originally I did give the surface a light sandblast to give it some texture and then dyed it black. as I was changing the colour and unknown to me a good friend had died in an accident. as I was changing the colour I also reflected that I had only ever changed the clour on only one other piece. this fellows wife had purchased that about 5 years prior. He was a GP and was not that great around mechanical things but he was the best doctor that I ever had. he also had a fairly good size farm and was using his old D6 Cat. and there was a problem with the winch and got off to check it and as he was back there the D8 started to back up. the family wanted to know if I could make a container for his service on the following Monday. I said that I did not have the time to make but that I could possibly use the one that I am just finishing. the service was the following Monday and the exhibition opening was Tueday night in Vancouver 500 miles away. It all worked out just right. the service was noon and we went out in a conoe a little later and released his ashes in the Nechako River. Drove back into Pr. George and crated it all up and got it on a plane and 1 hour later it was picked up and taken to the gallery.
It was then in another internal touring exhibit as it was in the Inaugeral exhibit of the Canadian Craft Museum. after it was over I gave the piece to the family and they donated it to the Museum. the Museum did go defunct and the whole collection has been sitting in the basement storage of the Vancouver Museum and no one really know what to do with it. frustrating situation
ron