Need help & ideas for Artist Talk

[Ricc Havens]

I posted this on another forum and got some gerat ideas and advice. But I know there are great turners here that may not visit the other forum for one reason or another. So I thought I would ask here too.

Recently I entered the 44th annual Juried Regional Art Exhibition at the Midwest Museum of American Art in northern Indiana. This art exhibition accepts entries from over 20 Indiana & Lower Michigan counties. Both pieces I entered got accepted and won awards.

The museum Director found out I was legally blind and was impressed with the turnings I produce. He has asked me to do an presentation as part of their weekly noon-time Artist Talks. I'm scheduled to present on December 22nd. This talk is to include some artist background (which I think I can handle) and also about the history, processes, etc involved in the art of turning. This artist talk will be about 30-40min with time for Q & A afterwards. Format is powerpoint and talking.

Anyone ever do something similar and willing to share some of their presentation that I can adapt and modify? Or, suggestions on what to include or not include? Or info on the history of turning that can be easily and briefly presented within a few powerpoint slides? I need to plan some sort of outline so I can start roughing out the powerpoint presentation.

Thanks
Ricc


By the way, here are the two pieces that are in the Exhibition until Christmas. The tall enclosed vessel is monkeypod wood with a finial of black sea fan coral. The shorter hollow form is Indian Rosewood.

[mike calabrese]

Hi Ricc
First congratulations on your beautiful work and success in the exhibition.
As far as your presentetion I think first you have to define if it will be a technical "how to " thing or a sort of tribute to the artistry, same subject two different talks.
The technical should be a piece of cake for you looking at your work.
The artistry I would approach something like this.....EXAMPLE I would try to convey

#1 speak of the the entry level to a finished product, what you think , plan and feel when you find a piece of material you know has hidden beauty
#2 speak of your thought process that serves to protect the beauty you can see within a piece that offers the challenge to the artist.
Think of it this way what did Remington see in a vat of molten bronze, or Michelangelo when he looked at a slab of marble knowing there was beauty inside.
#3 speak of the artist's responsibility to be the provocatour that brings something hidden out for all to see
#4 speak of the artist"s angst in taking on the challenge of bringing the vision of beauty within that you believe in, and drawing that out through your hands.
All this may sound a bit lofty, snooty and high rolling BUT it is not it is the basis and definion of the pasion of an artist , like you !
For You personally you mentioned that you are legally blind however it looks (no punn intenden) like you have the artist's vision that goes beyond processing visible light.
I believe simply looking at the work you presented THE ARTISTS PASSION flows through your hands just tell your story you will be fine.
BEST OF LUCK
mike calabrese

[Russell Neyman]

This is a topic I ponder -- and get asked about -- a great deal. I often say, "I can teach people to turn; I cannot teach them to design." The shape, flow, and subtle features of a piece are something that don't fit into a formula. Having said all this, I'll take a shot at explaining my personal approach.

In my studio, there are only two methods to designing a wood-turned piece. One, a specific design pops into my head (or, a customer comes to me with a request and I interpret it) so I go about finding the resources to achieve that end. Usually, that means locating the correct piece of wood, but it could be a tool. It might be something as simple as an incredibly tall and slim finial, requiring me to create a hollow form to display it. Or, it might be a certain inlay or texturing technique that I want to try. Funny how I've gone through different phases in my long career. One season I'm fascinated by plates with basket illusion; the next I'm pushing the limits of hollow forms; at other times I'm experimenting with way to re-think box-making.

The other approach is to "follow the wood." This is not too far removed from what a jeweler must do when cutting a gem. I measure and inspect a particular wood specimen, ponder what could be created from it, and set off on an adventure that rarely is predictable. A good example is a large, not-very-deep burl named "Supernova" I did a couple of years ago. It had an unusual, irregular shape and wonderful grain pattern, so I just tinkered with it and, after many months of probing and plotting, I came up with an award-winning piece that earned me a nice paycheck. Now, typical of this process, I set off on one path and ended up on another because the tree dictated various decisions along the way. That's a critical factor in this methodology; become partners with the wood and allow it to speak.

My advice to neophytes who are looking to elevate their artistry is to turn A LOT. Go to the lathe often and be fearless. It today's Experiment doesn't work out, try again tomorrow. Use high-grade wood species and throw caution to the wind. If the bowl shatters or ends up embarrassingly ugly, so be it. Failure is an honest teacher.

I've attached a handful of my pieces with comments about what inspired them.
488180
This piece of fiddleback maple was a result of my desire to use color with figured grain.
488181
I found a piece of agate that I sliced and polished, eventually using it to adorn this hollow form.
488182
Similar to the agate, I acquired an Arabic arrowhead and thought it could be featured on a cocobolo box.
488183
This huge burl presented some challenges, including an inclusion that made it instable. My solution was to fill the voids with a mixture of epoxy, sawdust, and coffee, and add a copper banding that also strengthened the rim.
488184
It's no secret my favorite species is Madronne, which dramatically warps and twists if turned green.
488185
My solution to creating a lidded box with a natural edge burl was to inset it.
488186
For decades I've used banksia seed pods as "feathers" I use as finials. This is one of my blessings vessels.
488187
Yes, I actually did create the ebony finial with turquoise inlay first, then created the hollow form to go with it.

I wish I could show you more, but SMC only allows eight images per post.

[Russell Neyman]

Not many responses. See? I said it was a complex subject.

[Ricc Havens]

Not many responses. See? I said it was a complex subject.

True! But your and Mike's responses have provided some help!

Maybe someone from the weekend crowd might add some thoughts and suggestions.

[Edward Weber]

Ricc, in your Artist's statement or in the Q&A, some of the question you might get asked or think about are as follows.
How long have you been turning, or how did you get started turning?
What does wood turning mean to you? Is it a relaxation thing, a therapy thing, a connection with other turners, keeping the craft alive, etc.
How do you go about making a piece, where does your inspiration come from?
There are more areas to cover, but I think you get the point

[Ricc Havens]

Ricc, in your Artist's statement or in the Q&A, some of the question you might get asked or think about are as follows.
How long have you been turning, or how did you get started turning?
What does wood turning mean to you? Is it a relaxation thing, a therapy thing, a connection with other turners, keeping the craft alive, etc.
How do you go about making a piece, where does your inspiration come from?
There are more areas to cover, but I think you get the point

Great input! I can actually use those and other potential questions I might think will come up and weave the info into the presentation to kind of answer some of the questions before they are asked :o

[Edward Weber]

Great input! I can actually use those and other potential questions I might think will come up and weave the info into the presentation to kind of answer some of the questions before they are asked :o


If you've done this kind of thing before, you can usually be prepared for 80-90 percent of the "usual" questions. For the remainder, you just have to think on your feet.

There are plenty more likely questions I could provide if you are interested, but I think you've probably got it covered.