If the recipients of your work can't see the beauty of a
bowl that started out as maybe a piece of firewood and can't
appreciate the effort and creative talent you put in your
work, then they should go to walmart and buy plastic bowls
that are dishwasher and microwave safe.

Lem Bledsoe


A Lurker wrote:

Last year this time I started on a slippery slope making
some tree
ornaments on the used Jet lathe I picked up on a good deal with some other
equipment. Well now a year later, I'm running out of room on the breakfront
for bowls so I decided to give some as presents to family and friends. So
these are ~12" bowls from spalted elm finished with shellic or Waterlox and
then Beall polished. Presented with sprigs of Xmas tree greens, holly and a
candy cane inside. Smooth as a baby's bottom with some nice spalting lines.

So now the question .... do I have idiots for friends and family or do
people say things like this to you also?

"Is it microwaveable?"
"Is it dish washer safe?"
"Can I wash it in hot soapy water?"
"Will (various foods) hurt it?"
(all comments by different recipients)

Do I have all practical utilitarian friends and family who don't see any
artistic display value (these were really nice bowl forms with nice finish
...REALLY ) or do you get comments like these also? The only other bowls
I've given out, were to people who gave me the wood and got some of their
tree back in return. They seemd to view them as a display item.

Jerry