Right on! I totally and wholeheartedly agree!

I'm afraid that I react to turned wooden items with color added (even if we
call it art) much in the same way that I react to a tattooed female breast.
Others may find great beauty in both.

One of life's great (and oft ignored) truths is that God's handiwork is
mighty hard to improve upon. I we still insist on trying, the effort should
be undertaken very, very carefully. Perhaps even reverently.

Let's not forget that wood, with its beautiful figure, burls, etc., is God's
work. Dare we even attempt to improve on that? How could we? Should we
not confine our efforts to revealing the beauty that is already there?
Same goes for the tattoo on the female anatomy. Shame on us!

Barry


"Ray Sandusky" wrote in message
...
Arch

If it takes color to be in a gallery, then I am with you! I would prefer
that the "Artistic" community look at our objects and see the beauty that
was put there by God and the form of the final product that we produced by
grace and divine intervention. I like some of the items that I see the
"community" tout as tremendous works, but I think most of it is a
travesty.

I can see painting over a poplar bowl, but if you are going to paint over
it, at least make the final exterior look more appealing than that which
you
have covered with the paint! There are some works in print that I would
rather see in the proverbial "circular file".

What happened to displaying the grain, figure and form of a turned object?
Why is there such a tendency for the gallery types to ignore the medium in
favor of the surface treatments. Why is it an embarrassment to say the
object was turned?

Now, some surface treatments are great - John Jordan's subtle carving and
texturing, Robyn Horn's chainsaw marks, Stoney Lamar's multi-axis
sculpting,
Andi Wolf's burned leaf patterns and Greame Priddle's ball peen hammer
marks
and burns - but why has the material been tossed out with the LDD water?
I
rather like seeing the grain pattern and figure of the wood. If I wanted
to
see a vessel with a completely covered surface I would look at pottery or
canvas. Our medium is wood - lowly, burnable, tossed to the side of the
road, pick your teeth with it - wood....and it is a wonderful living
thing.

Last week, an old friend of mine died - a very old friend - I could not
let
the death of this friend go without having it marked in some meaningful
way.
This old friend was a huge old Rock Elm tree that stood at the corner of
its
owner's property, providing a beautiful landmark and a site for all who
drove along the road where it lived. There was a storm and some wind and
then my friend was on the ground. I could think of no better way of
marking
its passing than by gathering up a few pieces and turning those pieces
into
something of lasting beauty. I chose to make an item that showed the
grain
and figure of the wood and the contrast between heart and sap woods. That
piece and the other 5 chunks that I gathered up will be preserved -
hopefully for as many years into the future as this tree stood. By the
way,
this tree was over 70 inches in diameter and estimated to be about 200
years
old.

Why would I want to gather this wood and cover it with paint, fake gold
leaf
or dental drill a million holes into it? I would rather have the wood
grain
and figure display the proud beauty that is a testament to the life and
wonder the living being provided to this world.

So, Mr., Mrs., Ms or Miss gallery curator, museum curator or artshow
jurist
please do not ignore the inherent beauty of our medium or reject those of
us
who like to let the material make our statement for us. I, for one, am
not
an artist who suffers from functional psychosis nor do I have the desire
to
cut my ear off! I just want my work to be appreciated for what it is; an
object I produced from a once living breathing being that unselfishly gave
its body to me to use to help me fulfill my passion for turning!

Oh, and Arch, thank you for foisting this subject upon the RCW at a time
when I had a few minutes to write my thoughts out in detail.

Ray Sandusky

www.artisticwoods.com