Symposium Demonstrators
Jimmy ClewesJimmy is not your ordinary woodturner. Upon a first meeting one would think of him as a renegade, a free thinker and not within the stereotypical image of a woodturner. His charming British style, unending wit, creative mind and magnetic personality are only some of the attirbutes that make him popular in the woodturning demonstration circuit.
Jimmy is on the Register of Professional Woodturners in the United Kingdom and a member of the American Association of Woodurners. He has over 22 years experience in woodturning and woodworking. The demand for his services as a freelance demonstrator and teacher takes him all over the world including his homeland of the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Belgium, Australia and the United States.
Trent Bosch
Working with wood is part of my everyday life. It is my connection to the earth and the environment in which I live. While pursuing my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography and sculpture, I became interested in the art of woodturning.
My philosophy has always been to work in harmony with our environment and not to destroy something in order to create something. In all my art, I use only recycled and easily sustainable woods. Being conscious of this has allowed me to work with the subtle beauty and dimension this discarded wood possesses.
My intent as an artist is to express my feelings about nature, my family and natural processes. I work in series or bodies of work, which allows me to explore these issues in depth. Throughout the creative process I am continually reminded that I have not and will not ever be content. I will continue to create and strive for that body of work that has yet to be conceived.
Bob Rosand
Robert Rosand began working with wood as a child and now, for well over twenty years has been woodturner, teacher, demonstrator, and writer on the subject of his craft. Most of his articles can be found in past issues of the American Woodturner. Bob has served as vice president and member of the board of directors for the American Association of Woodturners.
Bob has demonstrated for numerous local American Association of Woodturners chapters and has demonstrated at several national AAW symposiums. In 2005 he was the featured demonstrator at the 20th Annual National Symposium in Overland Park, Kansas.
Frank Penta
Past president of the Woodturners Guild of North Carolina, Frank has been involved in woodworking throughout his life, since 1977 he has focused specifically on woodturning. His work integrates function and aesthetics with fine detailing and finishing to enhance the natural beauty of the wood. Frank's one-of-a-kind designs ara exhibited in private collections and sold through museums and galleries.
Frank has been a demonstrator at numerous woodturning clubs and symposia and has conducted workshops in a variety of settings including John C. Campbell Folk School, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and the Appalachian Center for Crafts.
Frank's professional experience in education is reflected in his teaching ability and the high quality of his woodturning classes, demonstrations, and instructional materials.
His work has been has featured in American Woodturner magazine,and he is coauthor of the book Woodturning Tools, Techniques, and Projects.
John Jordan
John Jordan is a woodturner from Cane Ridge (Nashville), Tennessee. Known primarily for his textured and carved hollow vessels, John has been featured in nearly every major turning exhibition the past twenty years. His work has received numerous awards, and is in the permanent collections of many museums and corporations, including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the American Craft Museum in New York City, the White House in Washington, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, the Fine Arts Museum in Boston, and the Detroit Institute of the Arts and the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.
John is in great demand as a demonstrator/teacher, traveling extensively teaching at universities, craft schools, turning groups and trade shows throughout the US, Canada, the UK, France, New Zealand, Australia and Japan, including an annual week or two at world famous Arrowmont school of Arts and Crafts, Anderson Ranch Arts Center and Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine.
John's pieces are initially turned on the lathe, from fresh, green logs, using a number of techniques and tools that have evolved over the years. Each piece is then hand carved and textured, using a variety of different hand and small powered tools. This texturing process is very labor intensive, and can take as much as several days to weeks to complete. There is little room for error during this carving- one small slip can ruin the piece. A light lacquer finish is applied to most pieces, including the dyed work.
Lyle Jamieson
Lyle has been involved in both woodworking and turning from an early age. His father, a pattern maker in Detroit, mentored him in the intricacies of wood, both structural and artistic. As a result of this background, he got his start in the woodworking field.
Since 1988, from his home studio in Traverse City, Michigan, Lyle has turned his attention to woodturning and has quickly developed a style that is both innovative in design and technically challenging. While he began his work with traditional vessels and bowls, his creative energies and desire to cultivate his technique soon led him to attempt turning the human form. Requiring a multi-axis approach versus the more traditional single axis, the work is complex, yet delicate. The beauty of the human form allows the artist to employ grain elegantly.
Lyle developed a passion for woodturning around 1989. His quest for learning technical skills for woodturning led him to work with the best and most respected masters in the woodturning field. In 1998, Lyle became a full time studio turning artist/sculptor.
Barry Gross
Barry's recent work, creating fine writing instruments from re-cycled material, has lead to his receiving a Readers’ Choice Award from Pen World Magazine. He has published over 50 articles in several woodworking magazines, is an author of three books on turning and just released his second DVD. He is a member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW), Bucks County Woodturners, Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsman, Pen Makers Guild and was chosen to join the National Register of Who’s Who for executives and professionals.
He is a guest speaker / presenter at many woodworking shows and turning clubs throughout the northeast and has twice been chosen twice to demonstrate his pen techniques at the most recent AAW symposiums in Albuquerque New Mexico and Hartford Connecticut.
He was featured by Pennsylvania Cable Network and Ebru TV for his unique style in using recycled material to make pens. Both of the premier international pen magazines, Stylus & Pen World, have written articles on this independent pen maker.
Barry was commissioned by the “White House” to make pens as gifts for former Vice President Cheney and his pens can be found in the pockets of several famous individuals including Steven Spielberg, Jimmie Buffet, Greg Norman, the former Speaker for The House of Representatives Dennis Hastert, Norwegian concert pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and many local and state politicians.
Kristin Levier
I create minimalist contemporary sculpture inspired by my deep fascination with the natural world, and my mission as an artist is to tell a story through work at the intersection of art and science. I’m driven to make art that excites curiosity and connects us to the extraordinary, strange beauty of the world around us.
The two decades I spent as a research molecular biologist allowed me to explore the complexity of our world, and I continue to view my surroundings through the eyes of a scientist. The structure of a leaf or the movement of a bacterium can be astonishingly beautiful, and I sculpt with the aim of illuminating the subtle and the tiny.
Through my work I hope to deliver scientific content viscerally to encourage curiosity and a desire to look more closely at the smallest details of the fantastically rich and beautiful world around us.
Andi Wolfe
Andi Wolfe, an evolutionary biologist, dedicated her career to delving into the intricate tapestry of plant diversity, finding inspiration in the natural world's minutiae when viewed through a lens of high magnification. While her professional journey traversed the realms of biological exploration, her passion for artistic expression found an outlet through woodcraft.
Following her retirement in late 2022, Andi’s artistic pursuits have centered on the fusion of wood and glass in sculptural forms. Drawing from her background in biology, she integrates botanical motifs into her creations, utilizing surface enhancements to bring forth the intricate beauty of plant life.
In her wooden creations, Andi’s craftsmanship shines through in the meticulous carving of botanical designs, ranging from the macroscopic to the microscopic, capturing the essence of plant cellular structures with a keen eye for detail. Her work in three-dimensional botanical carvings, particularly maple and oak leaf designs, showcases her artistic vision.
Driven by a spirit of experimentation, Andi has embraced the challenges of working with glass, immersing herself in a spectrum of techniques including glass blowing, kiln-formed glass, glass casting, and flameworking. Mirroring her approach in wood, she infuses her glasswork with biological motifs, sculpting organic forms that echo the intricate wonders of the natural world.
Through her interdisciplinary exploration of wood and glass, Andi Wolfe seamlessly intertwines her scientific background with her artistic endeavors, making captivating pieces that bridge the gap between biology and artistry.
Nick Ager
Nick is renowned for his Viking Sunset Bowl, a multi-textured work that combines woodworking and professional artistry. His signature design, the bowl merges the elegant finish of turned wood with elaborate surface treatments that look like ancient pewter.
Nick’s work is influenced by organic forms, pottery, sea life, ancient cultures, and the natural surroundings. He specializes in hollow forms, large diameters, and surface enhancement.
Donna Zils
Working with wood has been a remarkable journey of community and connections. Connecting with the materials and the pieces I create; communicating with other makers who have become my family, friends, and mentors; and most of all, deeply connecting with an intense and passionate need to make wood art.
That realization became clear when I walked away from the legal profession after only two years of woodturning. It might seem like a completely unrelated and massive career shift, but lawyers obsess over tiny details and minutiae. I discovered my finely tuned skill of obsessing over the minutiae easily transferred to my new path. It wasn’t just the constant seeking of the perfect curve, or the best finished surface possible. It happened in a euphoric moment in the first workshop I took with Binh Pho; I knew with absolute certainty where my path would lead.
I was inspired by his incredible story. I was driven to learn how to use those delicate tools; compelled to explore the use of colors, texture, and negative space in his work, and incorporate those techniques into mine. Obsessive focus became my mantra. Because of that connection, my work today features bold colors, patterns, and textures that I use to tell my story. Today, I draw inspiration from the historic towns, the majestic mountains and rocky seashores of New England.
Willie Simmons
A second generation woodworker from Fincastle, Virginia, I spent hours a day in my father's shop as a child. We refinished and repaired furniture. My first experience on a lathe was replacing a rung on a chair. From that moment on, I knew that turning was my calling. I’ve been to many symposiums, classes, and demos over the years. I enjoy teaching and sharing what I’ve learned.
