The American Association of Woodturners' symposium in Pheonix featured three days of woodturning demonstrations and several galleries of truly amazing turned work. I presented "OT Artistry - Beyond the Rose Engine" detailing the social history of ornamental turning by sharing designs from some of the most accomplished practitioners along with the variety of tools and techniques used with traditional and modern OT lathes.
Along with forty other diverse artists, I created pieces from age-old trees felled during a storm at the famous Bartram Gardens in Philadelphia. Produced by The Center for Art in Wood, the exhibit of work was first shown in 2014 and travelled to other locations through 2017. A book, Google interactive tour, and video of Bartram's Boxes Remix were also created. See interviews with the artists while exploring the exhibition and Bartram's Garden. (My work is featured at 14 minutes into the video.) More: Exhibit website & video | Amazon page
The April 2014 issue of UK's Woodturning magazine featured my Pagoda Box and detailed my approach to ornamental turning. The magazine is read by turning enthusiasts in over 60 countries!
A multi-part work entitled Currents was on display at SOFA Chicago. During the event, Betty Scarpino (wood artist and editor of American Woodturner) presented "Currents in Contemporary Woodturning," a slideshow and lecture featuring my ornamental turning work among other artists defining contemporary woodturning.
I had the pleasure of restoring a Plant two-stage geometric chuck, circa 1865, to fine working order. This chuck produces cycloidal patterns of all types, from a simple ellipse to an infinite variety of complex and beautiful geometric figures (similar to the Spirograph toy made 100 years later). I am currently exploring the range of possibilities of three-dimensional cutting in wood using the variety of change gears and setups the chuck offers. It's particularly fun and challenging to connect the tools of the past with modern design!
The biannual Ornamental Turners International symposium was held in Scranton, PA, where I was awarded the Master's Cup (for the second time in a row). The prize-winning Ornamental Spoon was made from a single piece of brown ebony hand-turned on five centers using both ornamental and rosette lathes.
My work is featured in a new book, Woodturning Today, a Dramatic Evolution, celebrating the American Association of Woodturners' 25th Anniversary. View on Amazon.com
Santa Cruz Woodworkers exhibit Studio Made at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History ran from July through November 2011. A wide range of my work was presented among the ten artists showcased. Read the Santa Cruz Sentinel review or Lisa Jenson's Online Express, in which she muses, "Salesin's incredibly intricate and diverse pieces, ranging from fingernail-size to about and inch or two high, may be the most breathtaking objects in the show."
The largest of the "Cosmic Burst" pattern bowl series was acquired by Yale University Art Gallery for their American Decorative Arts permanent collection. The rose engine turned bowl measures nearly 10 inches in diameter and was created from a single piece of end-grain Osage Orange heartwood. View object listing | Visit Yale University Art Gallery website
From more than 1500 pieces at the American Association of Woodturner's 2011 Symposium Instant Gallery in St. Paul, my Cosmic Burst pattern bowl, along with approximately 20 other artists' pieces, was selected for critique. Luminary turner and teacher David Ellsworth along with collectors Jane & Arthur Mason selected and discussed the work. Among the comments, included "He’s given us a hint on the outside of the rim, as to what to anticipate potentially on the inside, even though we don’t know until we get there. It’s kind of like the right dress on the right person at the right time."
The 25th annual American Association of Woodturners' symposium featured rose engine demonstrations, lectures and trade show booths with ornamental turning equipment. I presented "A Decade of Turning Boxes" detailing tips, tricks & traps from my ornamental box-making experience and demonstrated how tools, technique, and artistry impact results.
The June 2011 issue of American Woodturner magazine featured three of my "Lattice Boxes" in the gallery section of an article entitled "Ornamental Turning – A Cricket Cage."