"The small, delicate wood bowls by Joshua Salesin give evidence to his industrious hand through smooth, seamless scoops of air carved into patterns of harmonious balance."
Anchorage News Daily, Sept. 30, 2005
| 2011 | Small Wonders, Santa Cruz Art League. Santa Cruz, CA. |
| Art Hang, Tannery Art Center. Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Inside & Outside The Box, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. | |
| Studio Made: Santa Cruz Woodworkers, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA, | |
| American Association of Woodturners Symposium Gallery Exhibit, St. Paul, MN. | |
| Featured Artist, Gallery M, Half Moon Bay, CA. | |
| Museum Collection Showcase, in conjunction with the show, "Exotic Woods, Metal Cutters and Dale Chase: Ornamental Turning from the Walter Balliet Collection," Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA. | |
| Cultural Council Benefit Auction, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| 2010 | Box & Container Show, NW Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA. |
| Ornamental Turners International Conference, San Jose, CA. | |
| Wood Is Good, Davenport Gallery, Davenport, CA. | |
| American Association of Woodturners Symposium – Educational Opportunity Grant Auction, Hartford, CT. | |
| Art For Art, River Street Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Santa Cruz Woodworkers Exhibit, Rittenhouse Building, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Contemporary Wood Art: Collectors’ Selections, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA | |
| Cultural Council Benefit Auction, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| 2009 | Santa Cruz Woodworkers Exhibit, Rittenhouse Building, Santa Cruz, CA. |
| Box & Container Show, NW Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA. | |
| American Association of Woodturners Symposium Gallery Exhibit, Albuquerque, NM. | |
| Utah Woodturning Symposium Gallery Exhibit, Orem, UT. | |
| Turning to the Future: A Fresh Look at Wood Art, Grovewood Gallery, Asheville, NC. | |
| 2008 | Box & Container Show, NW Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA. |
| California Contours, San Luis Obispo Art Center, San Luis Obispo, CA. (Received juror's award.) | |
| Ornamental Turners International, St. Louis, MO. | |
| Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Sculptural Wood Exhibit, American Art Co., Tacoma, WA. | |
| Rose-Engines and Kings: Contemporary Ornamental Turning 2008, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA. | |
| Spotlight On: Wood, Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ. | |
| Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Scottsdale, AZ. | |
| Turned Wood — Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. | |
| 2007 | American Association of Woodturners Symposium Gallery Exhibit, Portland, OR. |
| Box & Container Show, NW Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA. | |
| Sculptural Wood Exhibit, American Art Co., Tacoma, WA. | |
| Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Cultural Council Benefit Auction, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA), New York, NY. | |
| Turned Wood — Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. | |
| 2006 | Box & Container Show, NW Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA. |
| Ornamental Turners International Symposium, Portsmouth, NH. | |
| California Contours, San Luis Obispo Art Center, San Luis Obispo, CA. | |
| Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA), Chicago, IL. | |
| Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA), New York, NY. | |
| Cultural Council Benefit Auction, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Turned Wood — Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. | |
| 2005 | Holiday Spot Invitational, NemoArt Gallery, Anchorage, AK. |
| Box & Container Show, NW Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA. | |
| Craft Showcase, Museum of Craft & Folk Art, San Francisco, CA. | |
| Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA), Chicago, IL. | |
| Dimensions 2005, San Luis Obispo, CA (Received juror's first place award.) | |
| Sculptural Wood Exhibit, American Art Co., Tacoma, WA. | |
| Featured Artist, NemoArt Gallery, Anchorage, AK. | |
| Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Philadelphia, PA. | |
| Innovative Perspectives in Turning, Philadelphia, PA & Brookfield, CT. | |
| Masters in Wood, Gallery Materia, Scottsdale, AZ. | |
| California Black & White, The Cabrillo Gallery, Aptos, CA. | |
| Artist Reflections, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA. | |
| NICHE Awards Exhibit, Buyers Market of American Craft, Philadelphia, PA. | |
| Materials: Hard & Soft, Center for the Visual Arts, Denton, TX. | |
| Utah Woodturning Symposium Gallery Exhibit, Provo, UT. | |
| Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA), New York, NY. | |
| Cultural Council Benefit Auction, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Turned Wood — Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. | |
| 2004 | Craft Showcase, Museum of Craft & Folk Art, San Francisco, CA. |
| Box & Container Show, NW Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA. | |
| Utah Woodturning Symposium Gallery Exhibit, Provo, UT. | |
| Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA), Chicago, IL. | |
| Tree of Life: Wood Art, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA. | |
| Solo Show, County Government Center, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| One and Only, Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI. | |
| Wood-O-Rama, Yieser Art Center, Paducah, KY. | |
| Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA), New York, NY. | |
| Cultural Council Benefit Auction, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Featured Artist, Gallery M, Half Moon Bay, CA. | |
| Turned Wood — Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. | |
| 2003 | Box & Container Show, NW Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA. |
| Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| Cultural Council Benefit Auction, Santa Cruz, CA. | |
| 2002 | Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz, CA. |
I started turning wood as a hands-on creative outlet to balance long hours programming and designing internet media. I found a natural affinity for wood and a particular interest in surface decoration using a lathe. A couple years later, when I first saw ornamental turned items in a gallery, I was intrigued—in part because I had no idea how they were made. In my pursuit to learn more, I was given an opportunity to try out a rose engine lathe and was hooked. I’ve always had a penchant for antiques and was fascinated by such uncommon decorative turning techniques so I set out to find original ornamental turning equipment. At the time, eBay and email were not so pervasive so it took quite a while to locate a machine. Once in hand and restored to working order, the fun of figuring out the tools and techniques began.
Much of the enjoyment of what I do comes from combining traditional turning techniques that date back hundreds of years with the challenge of producing unique, engaging and beautiful contemporary designs. My ornamental lathe is 175 years old and the only update I favor is a motor that drives the cutters and lathe spindle (although there are still times I prefer to treadle power it instead). For additional capabilities, I also use a rose engine lathe. Together, the possibilities are endless! My fascination with merging the organic and the industrial, the natural and the machine-made feeds my passion for woodturning.
From day one, the wood I use has come from second-hand or recycled sources—a product of the urban forest we live in, salvaged from tree trimmers, and saved from the wood chipper, fireplace or landfill. Since the materials for successful ornamental turning require dense, tight-grained timber usually not found locally, I seek out sources of offcuts or rejects from instrument and furniture makers. I'm always exploring more conscious and sustainable options for my materials. Efforts are made to ensure that any purchased wood is from sustainable, environmentally managed sources. Every scrap of material I work with, no matter how small, is saved and utilized in future projects. Nothing is wasted or burned and the shavings are recycled into my community's "green waste" program.
