Sculptural Turning

Keith Tompkins

Dancing Box by Keith Tompkins, maple, holly, and veneer, 2004Playing Hooky by Keith Tompkins, sugar maple, holly, and ebony, 2008

August 20-24

If you are familiar with the fundamentals of turning and would like to experiment with its sculptural possibilities, this is the course for you! Keith shares his creative process—how he comes up with ideas and refines them—as well as his methods for turning, carving, surface embellishment, and coloring. With his one-on-one guidance, participants create sculptural turned objects of their own, employing Keith’s aesthetic and technical vocabularies as a starting point for their own explorations.

Among the topics covered through demonstration and discussion are effective sketching to develop ideas, improved sharpening methods, hand- and power-carving techniques, surface preparation, and finishing. Keith helps each student develop a creative thought process that will continue to generate a lively stream of ideas.

Keith Tompkins is a sculptural wood turner in Tivoli, NY. He originally trained as a furniture maker and operated his own workshop until, about a decade ago, his interest migrated to turning. He is represented by the prestigious del Mano Gallery in Los Angeles and has exhibited at the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, NC, the Brookfield Craft Center in Connecticut, and the American Association of Woodturners Gallery in Minneapolis, among other venues. Keith is a frequent presenter at the national symposia of the AAW and has several times won top honors in the Northeast Woodworkers Association’s annual exhibition. His website is: www.keithptompkins.com

Open to intermediate turners.

Tuition: $695

Sign Up Now