Profile

my work in your world

 

About My Art

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. I utilize an ornamental lathe that is more than 180 years old with only a few updates to the cutters and lathe spindle drive (although there are still times I prefer to treadle or hand operate it instead). For additional capabilities, I also use a rosette lathe, a method of turning that dates back more than 500 years. 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.

Ethically Sourced Materials

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, no matter how small, is saved for use in future projects. Scraps are not burned and shavings are recycled into my community's green waste program.

In Public Collections

  • Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA.
  • Flaten Art Museum, Northfield, MN.
  • Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT. (2011)
  • Dale Nish Collection, Provo, UT. (2006)
  • The Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA. (2004)

Accolades

  • 2021 Anthony Award - SOT Bulletin Article, Global.
  • 2021 Winner - SOT "Lockdown" Competition, Global.
  • 2016 Rose Cup - OTI Symposium, Denver, CO.
  • 2012 Masters Cup - OTI Symposium, Scranton, PA.
  • 2012 Straightline Wood Cup - OTI Symposium, Scranton, PA.
  • 2010 Masters Cup - OTI Symposium, San Jose, CA.
  • 2009 3rd Place - Boxes & Containers, NW Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA.
  • 2008 Juror's Award - California Contours, San Luis Obispo, CA.
  • 2005 1st Place - Dimensions, SLO Art Center, San Luis Obispo, CA
  • 2005 NICHE Award Finalist - NICHE magazine, Baltimore, MD

Presentations

  • 2021 Society of Ornamental Turners Zoom Presentation, Global.
  • 2018 Ornamental Turners International Symposium, Seattle, WA.
  • 2017 Artistry in Wood Exhibition, Sonoma, CA.
  • 2016 Ornamental Turners International Symposium, Denver, CO.
  • 2016 Silicon Valley Woodturners, San Mateo, CA.
  • 2014 American Association of Woodturners Symposium, Phoenix, AZ.
  • 2011 Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA.
  • 2011 Ornamental Turners International Symposium, St. Paul, MN.
  • 2011 American Association of Woodturners Symposium, St. Paul, MN.
  • 2010 Ornamental Turners International Symposium, San Jose CA.
  • 2008 Ornamental Turners International Symposium, St. Louis, MO.
  • 2006 Ornamental Turners International Symposium, New Castle, NH.
  • 2006 Silicon Valley Woodturners, San Jose, CA.

In Books

  • Balance. American Association of Woodturners, 2023.
  • Bridging the Gap. American Association of Woodturners, 2022.
  • The Space Between. American Association of Woodturners, 2022.
  • Finding the Center. American Association of Woodturners, 2021.
  • A Legacy Of Craft, Community & Art In Wood. Wonderfull Design, 2019.
  • Continuum. American Association of Woodturners, 2019.
  • Masters of Contemporary Wood Art. Wood Symphony Gallery, 2018.
  • Out of the Woods. American Association of Woodturners, 2018.
  • Waves of Grain. American Association of Woodturners, 2017.
  • Patterns. American Association of Woodturners, 2016.
  • Robin Wood's CORES Recycled, Schiffer Publishing, 2015.
  • Bartram's Boxes Remix, Schiffer Publishing, 2014.
  • Turning to Art in Wood – A Creative Journey, Schiffer Publishing, 2012.
  • Woodturning Today, A Dramatic Evolution, Fox Chapel Publishing, 2011.
  • Wood Art Today 2, Schiffer Publishing, 2010.
  • The Art of Jewelry: Wood, Lark Books, 2008.
  • Best of California Artists, Kennedy Publications, 2007.
  • Color, Prentice-Hall, 5th Edition, 2006.
  • 500 Bracelets, Lark Books, 2005
  • 500 Wood Bowls, Lark Books, 2004.

In Periodicals

  • American Woodturner, August 2022.
  • American Woodturner, June 2022.
  • Woodworker West, May-June 2022.
  • Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin, #145 Fall 2021.
  • American Woodturner, August 2021.
  • Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin, #144 Spring 2021.
  • Woodcarver's Gazette, British Woodcarvers Association, July 2020.
  • American Woodturner, June 2020.
  • DrechslerMagazin, (cover story) August 2019.
  • American Woodturner, June 2019.
  • Woodworker West, July-August 2018.
  • Ornamental Turners International, Vol. 23, No. 2, Winter 2016.
  • American Craft Council, Week in Craft. May 25, 2016.
  • Woodworker West, May-June 2016.
  • Rose Engine News, Vol. 6, No. 2. Fall-Winter 2015-2016.
  • Rose Engine News, Spring-Summer 2015.
  • American Art Collector, January 2015.
  • Woodturning, April 2014.
  • Ornamental Turners International, Summer 2013.
  • American Woodturner, June 2012.
  • Woodwork, Winter 2012.
  • Rose Engine News, Autumn-Winter 2011.
  • Jenson Online Express, Sept, 7, 2011.
  • Santa Cruz Sentinel, Aug. 18, 2011.
  • Woodworker West, July-Aug 2011.

 

  • Ornamental Turners International, Spring 2011.
  • American Woodturner, June 2011.
  • Society of Ornamental Turners Bulletin, March 2011.
  • American Woodturner, Feb. 2011.
  • Rose Engine News, Fall-Winter 2010.
  • Turning Points, October 2010.
  • Woodworker West, Sep-Oct 2010.
  • Ornamental Turners International, Summer 2010.
  • American Woodturner, June 2010.
  • Woodworker West, Jan-Feb 2010.
  • Santa Cruz Sentinel, Dec. 9, 2009.
  • Ornamental Turners International, Summer 2009.
  • American Woodturner, Summer 2009.
  • American Woodturner, Spring 2009.
  • Woodworker West, Jan-Feb 2009.
  • Woodworker West, Sep-Oct 2008.
  • American Woodturner, Spring 2008.
  • American Woodturner, Fall 2007.
  • Best of California Artists, Kennedy Publications, 2007.
  • American Woodturner, Spring 2007.
  • Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County Calendar, 2006.
  • Anchorage News Daily, Sept. 30, 2005.
  • American Craft, Feb/Mar 2005.
  • American Woodturner, Fall 2004.
  • Crafts Report, August 2004.

Exhibitions

2023
Open Studios Art Tour, Santa Cruz, CA.
Balance, AAW Symposium, Portland, OR.
Balance, AAW Gallery of Wood Art, St. Paul, MN.
2022
Bridging the Gap, AAW Gallery of Wood Art, St. Paul, MN.
The Space Between, AAW Symposium, Chattanooga, TN.
Bridging the Gap, AAW Symposium, Chattanooga, TN.
This is Now, Curated by the Sea, Santa Cruz, CA.
The Space Between, AAW Gallery of Wood Art, St. Paul, MN.
2021
Finding the Center, AAW Gallery of Wood Art, St. Paul, MN.
450 Pieces, Radius Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA.
Finding the Center, AAW Virtual Symposium (online).
2020
Small Treasures, Wood Symphony Gallery (online).
POP Exhibit & Auction, AAW Virtual Symposium (online).
Inside the Box, Wood Symphony Gallery (online).
Nature | Nurture, AAW Gallery of Wood Art, St. Paul, MN.
Turned and Sculpted Wood, Wood Symphony Gallery (online).
2019
Continuum, AAW Gallery of Wood Art; St. Paul, MN.
Small Treasures, Wood Symphony Gallery (online).
Tribute to Arther Mason, Randy Pi Collection, San Jose, CA.
Real Mother Goose Gallery, Portland, OR.
Inside the Box, Wood Symphony Gallery (online).
WOODn't You Like to Know, Southern Highland Craft Guild, Asheville, NC.
Continuum, AAW Symposium, Raleigh, NC
Santa Cruz Cancer Group Benefit Auction, Santa Cruz, CA.
2018
Small Treasures, Wood Symphony Gallery (online).
Art Open, Randy Pi Collection, San Jose, CA.
Real Mother Goose Gallery, Portland, OR.
Ornamental Turners International Symposium, Seattle, WA.
Inside the Box, Wood Symphony Gallery (online).
Out of the Woods, Portland, OR.
Turned and Sculpted Wood, Wood Symphony Gallery (online).
Out of the Woods, St. Paul, MN.
2017
Artistry in Wood, Sonoma County Museum, Sonoma, CA.
Waves of Grain, AAW Symposium, Kansas City, MO.
Small Treasures, Wood Symphony Gallery (online).
Santa Cruz Cancer Group Benefit Auction, Santa Cruz, CA.
Small Favors: Think Inside the Box. The Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA.
Bartrams Box Remix, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA.
Real Mother Goose Gallery, Portland, OR.
2016
Flashback | Fast Forward, The Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA.
Bartrams Box Remix, Lehigh University Art Galleries, Bethlehem, PA.
Ornamental Turners International Symposium, Denver, CO.
POP Exhibit & Auction, AAW Symposium, Atlanta, GA.
Bartrams Box Remix, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA.
Santa Cruz Woodworkers, R. Blitzer Gallery; Santa Cruz, CA.
Patterns International Invitational, AAW Gallery of Wood Art; St. Paul, MN.
Bartrams Box Remix, The Bascom, Highlands, NC.
2015
Bartrams Box Remix, The Bascom, Highlands, NC.
Bartrams Box Remix, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI.
2014
American Association of Woodturners Symposium Gallery, Phoenix, AZ.
Bartrams Box Remix, The Center for Art In Wood, Philadelphia, PA.
2013
Currents, Gallery of Wood Art, St Paul MN.
Currents, SOFA Art + Design Expo, Chicago, IL.
Sculptural Objects & Functional Art (SOFA), Chicago, IL.
Currents, American Association of Woodturners Symposium, Tampa, FL.
Robin Wood’s Cores Recycled, The Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA.
2012
Robin Wood’s Cores Recycled, The Center for Art in Wood, Philadelphia, PA.
A Taste for Spoons, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA.
Ornamental Turners International Symposium, Scranton, PA.
American Association of Woodturners Symposium Gallery, San Jose, CA.
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, 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 Symposium, 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, 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, SLO Art Center, San Luis Obispo, CA. (Received juror's award.)
Ornamental Turners International Symposium, 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, 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, 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, SLO 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.
Innovations: 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.

In Galleries (2002-2025)

  • AAW Gallery of Wood Art, St Paul, MN
  • American Art Company, Tacoma, WA
  • Art League Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA
  • Ashland Hardwood Gallery, Ashland, OR
  • Bellagio, Asheville, NC
  • R. Blitzer Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA
  • Breen-Graham, Los Angeles, CA
  • Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield, CT
  • Cabrillo College Gallery, Aptos, CA
  • Center for Visual Arts, Denton, TX
  • Cervini-Hass Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
  • Davenport Gallery, Davenport, CA
  • Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
  • Dovetail Collection, Healdsburg, CA
  • Folk Art Center, Asheville, NC
  • Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
  • Gallery M, Half Moon Bay, CA
  • Gallery WDO, Charlotte, NC
  • Grovewood Gallery, Asheville, NC
  • Gumps, San Francisco, CA

 

  • Highlight Gallery, Mendocino, CA
  • JM Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI
  • Katie Gingrass Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
  • Madison Museum of Contemp Art, Madison, WI
  • Museum of Art & History, Santa Cruz, CA
  • Museum of Craft & Folk Art, San Francisco, CA
  • Museum of Sonoma County, Sonoma, CA
  • Nemo Art, Anchorage, AK
  • Northwest Fine Woodworking, Seattle, WA
  • Numen Gallery, Vancouver, BC
  • One of a Kind, San Francisco, CA
  • Question Mark Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA
  • Rittenhouse, Santa Cruz, CA
  • SLO Art Center, San Luis Obispo, CA
  • Soho Myriad, Atlanta, GA
  • The Guild, Madison, WI
  • The Real Mother Goose, Portland, OR
  • The Wood Gallery, San Francisco, CA
  • Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA
  • Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY

Shout-outs

what people are saying

It's kind of like the right dress on the right person at the right time.

David Ellsworth
AAW Symposium Gallery Critique, 2011

This is stunning work, quite extraordinary to look into, the rippled edge, the pattern inside and outside, it all just sings.

Steven Hogbin
AAW Symposium Gallery Critique, 2007

The craft requires aesthetic, spatial and mechanical chops, firing in concert.

Rebecca Klassen
American Art Collector Magazine, 2015

The small, delicate wood bowls give evidence to his industrious hand through smooth, seamless scoops of air carved into patterns of harmonious balance.

Anchorage News Daily
Sept. 30, 2005

Carving complex designs in very small pieces of wood requires the utmost patience and skill, something Salesin has in spades! The result is wood turning at its best – intricately crafted vessels to be admired, touched, examined, and coveted.

Tony Sikes
The Guild Magazine, 2006

Salesin easily has the most individual pieces on display, several dozen at least. The patterns in the cups and bowls are so hypnotizing, you may lose the sense you're looking at wood.

Wallace Baine
Santa Cruz Sentinel, 2011

His pattern bowls, which contain radiating textures, use the strategy of reflecting light to a dazzling, otherwordly effect.

Rebecca Klassen
American Art Collector Magazine, 2015

It adds to the mystery of the piece—a tiny cup, the repetitive mathematical pattern incised precisely within its concavity, with a hint of color being continually released from within the density of black.

Paul Zelansky
From "Color," Prentice-Hall, 2006

Josh Salesin is a master of ornamental turning whom I met through the Center's exhibition Rose-Engines and Kings: Contemporary Ornamental Turning. His forms, often in African blackwood, are distinctive and unique.

Albert LeCoff
From "1x1 - A Legacy of Craft, Community and Art in Wood," 2020