Turning for inspiration
Detail of War Dance by Hayley Smith, maple that has been bleached, colored, scorched and textured, 2001
Untitled piece from Suspended Sphere Series by Todd Hoyer, locust and wire (6"x8"), 2000, made from one piece of wood that has not been cut and reassembled
Todd Hoyer & Hayley Smith
September 8 – 19
This course is designed for competent wood turners who want to push their skills and creativity to new levels of excellence. Participants advance their understanding of material, form, turning techniques, and surface treatments, working on and off the lathe.
Through lecture and demonstration, Todd and Hayley cover topics as fundamental as wood characteristics and grain orientation, as technical as texturing, coloring, bleaching, and the difference between burning and scorching, and as essential as finding sources of inspiration and applying them to one’s work.
During the second week, there is less formal instruction and more one-on-one guidance as students spend an increasing amount of time experimenting with new techniques and incorporating them into turned forms such as vessels, platters, and sculpture. The aim of these two weeks is to send students home with an arsenal of new ideas, techniques, and “sample boards” to support the ongoing development of work.
Hayley Smith and Todd Hoyer live and work together in Bisbee, Arizona. Hayley has been a full-time studio wood turner since 1991 and is noted for her handling of design and surface treatment. Todd has been woodturning professionally since 1976 and is known for sculptural forms that draw inspiration and power from the raw nature of wood. Both turners are represented by leading galleries such as Cervini Haas in Scottsdale, Del Mano in Los Angeles, and Patina in Santa Fe. Their individual work is represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Mint Museum of Crafts and Design in Charlotte, among other prestigious museums.