TURNING OPEN BOWLS AND PLATTERS
Nairobi Squares by Alan Stirt, mahogany and acrylic paint (2"x17"), 2007
Fluted Bowl by Al Stirt, butternut (14" dia.), 2002
Alan Stirt
June 9 – 13
This class focuses on “extracting” bowl and platter forms from both green and dry wood. Participants experiment with pure turned forms, as well as decorative processes such as carving, texturing, and coloring. Al encourages students to develop original work, acquire new techniques, and test design ideas.
Instruction covers the use of bowl gouges and sheer scrapers in turning open bowls and platters. Among other topics, Al addresses selection and cutting of wood; drying green wood bowls; carving on turnings; using textures created on and off the lathe; and using a sgraffito technique to create designs by painting the wood and cutting through to reveal a pattern.
Al Stirt has been a professional woodturner for more than 30 years. His work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including those of the Smithsonian, the White House, and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. He has demonstrated woodturning in England, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada, as well as throughout the U.S. In 1997, the American Association of Woodturners awarded him an Honorary Lifetime Membership for his commitment and contributions to the field of woodturning. Al lives and works in Enosburg Falls, Vermont.