Judgement by Jury

It is with some interest that i have read comments concerning exacting specifications for turning projects. At least where I live , to have there work sold in craft council sponsered stores, one has to pass the minimum specifications. I certainly have no quarrel with that. I also agree with the writer that said quote " let them tell me what they expect and i will forfill it." As far as I am concerned, Thats what should be done! However there are establishments that don,t nescessarily recconize these standards. And I have no problem with that either. Some of the public like thick walled vessels and some don,t. etc. In my opinion there is room for everybody as there should be. An intereting comment was made to me at the local craft council establishment a few years back when I was bring in some of my stuff for jurying. I really didn,t think my projects where that good as i must have made a derrogatory comment about them. The young lady said to me quote " never critize your own work " . Interesting comment as i now believe the answer may very well that there are plenty of others that will do that for you.

Now comes the crux of the problem. When attending local woodturning club meeting , I noticed that at all the show and tells that the products, art, or whatever that were being displayed seemed alot better than mine.It takes considerable stamina to stand up and display a product that at least on the surface seems inferior to most others displayed.

One can develop an inferior complex while attending such meetings and never believe that the things that he,s spending hours on is worth anything.I must clarify and positively state that no single person there said anything negative about my stuff but incouragement was not offered much either.It was at this point I simply asked for the floor and stated that in over a year attending these meetings I was having a difficult time getting quality info from the group.It was as the expression goes " like trying to pull teeth " At that point one of the woodturners ask me to come to his house and it was then that i saw the beal system. I have given away maybe a hundred or so projects and finally sold one over xmas. I currently have one on Ebay Item # 8156335032. Its certainly not for profit that i have done this but as another step to see if real people appreciate what one spends many long hour doing.

For example there are collectors that collect art and other thing and there main pleasure is to place these away from many people and just admire them themselves.No problem if that what turns them on.

Turning for one self can get very boring at times. Everyone needs encouragement

Sincerely Keith

Hear, hear!

Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that having others look at your work is to give an objective eye, so you know how to do better next time.

For me, each work is an individual creation. If it was just cookie-cutter production, there would be no point. I'm always looking to improve. I agree with what the gal said about criticizing your own work: that smells of false humility. However, I think it's really cool when someone show a work, then explain what he or she learned from that piece, and explain what they would do differently next time. That's a sign of a growing artisan (oops, I used that word... let the arguments begin!).

Quite honestly, if all turnings had walls exactly 0.0835 thick, with exactly a 1/e aspect ratio, and perfectly aligned grain, I'd get bored and go away.

John Make of Fine Wood Chips and Sawdust

Common occurrence, George, be it turning, cabinet work, car repair, painting a wall, etc... You KNOW what to look for and focus on that, others see the whole thing as a completed item..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Kieth looking at the item that you have on Ebay you are doing work that most nonturners would think was excellent. Some of the pieces that I take into work to show my coworkers are pieces that I think tend to be not the best that I can do but others think are fantastic. I tend to be more critical of my work this just makes me want to do better work. In the few years that I have been turning I have seen vast improvment in my work. The more you turn the better your work will become.

What other turners think of your work is not allways important. What the customer thinks is.

I tend to believe there is something out there for everybody.

A few years ago, in the town I live in, there was a guy, actually a close friend of my family, who made grandfather clocks........lots of them. Most everybody in town had one and raved about it. "Just beautiful", they said. Then, I saw one of his clocks one day.........up close! That was the roughest grandfather clock I had ever seen. Miter joints with mismatched wood filler. Mill marks and planer marks all over. Cracks along glue joints. Screw holes with no screws or a broken off stub. And, to top it all off, a brushed on finish with dust specks and runs. Generally, his clocks looked like an elementary school wood shop project gone bad. And, the guy had a 6 month long waiting list for his clocks. Go figure!

Barry

Keith

Your post is one that gives me the impression that you are reaching a point of frustration in your effort as a turner and marketer. May I offer you a bit of support by telling you about my experience?!

Personally, I love the items that I turn - I remember almost everyone of them - probably over 1000. I keep a pretty good record of them by photographing my work and I personally do all of the work on every piece. (There are some turners and wood artists that receive help form their spouses, children or hired hands.) The personal knowledge of every piece is important to me. I have gone into people's homes who own one of my pieces, that did not know that I made the item and was able to tell them my experience in cutting up the tree and making the piece - it added to their appreciation of the item. I even showed them my signature on the bottom!

I have been fortunate in my endeavor to sell my work by positioning myself in many charity oriented venues. By doing the charity sales - where I either donate a piece for the auction and have a sales booth, or have a piece prominantly displayed in the auction (with my name and contact info), it can be a way to make my work receive attention from the people who have the discretionary income to spend on works of art or function. The charitable events are also fulfilling in that I am using my work and passion to bless others who may not be as fortunate as me. I have donated pieces to local benefits for AIDS, Hemophelia, and Children services. In each case, the pieces have brought a pretty sum and in one case, I am invited every year to not only offer a piece for auction, but to set up a booth and sell my work for a fee of 40% to the charity. Heck a gallery wants 50%, so I'll take the 60% and the contacts among the movers and shakers of the local economy as potential customers.

Another area to explore is local retailers - there are some retailers who have high-end clientelle and unique giftware offerings - these places usually would kill to have a local source for specialty items like lidded boxes or for custom work - like salad bowls of specific sizes/shapes etc. These pieces will bring in good prices as well.

Also, get your wife to talk to her friends about your work - you never know who your wife's friends may know. My biggest fan is a woman who is a friend of one of my wife's friends - she loves my work and has bought about 50 pieces - she gives them as gifts. She also tells everyone she knows about my work and how I relate a bit on the life of the tree - where it grew, how old it was and whether anything significant happened near the tree. Being from an area where a number of Civil War battles took place, I have come across some pretty cool stories to relate to the pieces that were cut from very old trees! By the way, this lady is a prominant member of local society and her ex-husband was at one time twice as rich as he is now!

So, Keith, be of hearty fortitude and find your way - it may be different than mine, but it should be one where you find joy in the work and pleasure in the result!

Happy New Year

Ray Sandusky Brentwood, TN USA

Keith

Further to your last point about collectors who squirrel work away. Ignore the bile following my post, wade through the inadequacies some seem to find with the website and take a look at the site I run for you collection. Hopefully you will find something there of interest to you. Inspiration - would be nice to think so, food for thought - definitely! Jonathon