Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour--First Weekend

The first weekend of the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour was a real success.  The fall colours, reds, oranges and golds, are coming into their full glory.  The visitors to our studio loved travelling along the roads and by the lakes in the Limberlost area, to see art where it is made, in its natural setting.

Our son Stephen came up to the cottage this weekend and helped us with the studio tour.  He has lots of enthusiasm for Brian's work and was able to answer questions about wood-turning and the different types of wood.



Brian's workshop was transformed into a studio, the woodshavings swept and the platters and bowls set up on the equipment and wood planks.  Each piece has a story--the origin of the wood or burl and how it was made--and we love to tell it.

The Redwood Burl Platter is Finished

Nine coats of oil, each allowed to dry, and the front of the platter was ready to be buffed with jeweller's rouge and white diamond.  Brian removed the chuck from the bottom and turned off the base of the platter.  He used a vacuum chuck but was unable to get good suction because the wood was porous, so it was supported with the tail stock. The base was given the same treatment of oiling and buffing and the platter is finished.





This Redwood Platter has incredible character with variations and complexity of grain.  The colours are shades of ochre which range from deep red to yellow and grey.  The diverse textures of the bark inclusions and lacy worm holes add to the intricate quality of the platter. 

It is a work of art to display in your home, but one which can be used to serve cheese and crackers, sandwiches or cookies.  Next to the platter is a candle, made from the same redwood burl.  The cost of the platter is $500 and the candle is $30.  It took a week for Brian to make this beautiful piece and it will have a place of honour in the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour over the next two weekends.

Redwood Beauty Revealed

We had a busy weekend--dinner with dear friends, the Huntsville Car Show and helping at the Terry Fox Run.  But Brian found the time to apply coats of oil to the Redbood Burl Platter.

The first coat was the most exciting.  Brian used a paint brush to get the oil into the tiny crevasses of the wood. The vibrant natural colours of the grains began to shine and its beauty was revealed.  He also applied oil with a cloth while the wood was turning on the lathe.  The motion forced the oil into the recesses, and the heat and friction allowed it to be absorbed deep into the grain.

Between each treament, the platter (which is still attached to the chuck) is set aside to dry.  The result will be a durable, solid, food-safe finish.  A few more coats to go and then Brian will turn and finish the bottom of the platter.

It's on the Lathe

Today Brian begins the next steps for the Redwood platter as he centres and screws the faceplate onto the wood circle.

Attached to the lathe, Brian measures the bottom of the platter for the placement of the chuck.  The joy of burls is that each one is unique with bark and gnarly bits, but bark and woodworm can create a challenge for the turner.  It can be a thing of beauty or break apart on the lathe.  It doesn't happen often but Brian has had a burl end up as kindling.

Brian uses a roughing and finishing gouge to shape the bottom and create the recess for the chuck.  He wears a mask and has a dust-collection system to keep the dust down.



The next stage involves attaching the chuck to the bottom of the platter.  Then he can turn it around and turn the front.  The process continues........

A Redwood Platter is Created

Brian loves working with redwood.  The process of making a platter begins with choosing the wood.  Brian studies the slab to find the area with the most character.  Instead of straight growth lines found in the trunk of the tree, a burl has irregular grain, bark inclusions and a mixture of sap lines and heart wood with their light and dark colours.  With a compass, Brian scribes the circle which will become the platter.

Next the bandsaw is used to cut the burl into a circle.



Even in its raw state, you can see that this will be a beautiful piece.  Stay tuned as it is mounted on the lathe tomorrow.

Juried Art Show Prize

Huntsville is a town blessed with many talented artists and a vibrant community which showcases and promotes the Arts.  Brian submitted this Elm Burl bowl, entitled "Last of a Species" to the Celebrate the Art Space juried art show and was accepted into the exhibit (September 3 to October 31).

We went to the The Art Space Gallery opening and were thrilled to be honoured with third prize.  Most of the other entrants were painters so it was wonderful to have the three-dimensional art of a wood turner recognized.

This bowl is a very special piece and one that we are keeping for our own home.  It was part of an enormous elm burl removed from a dead tree in the Halifax town square.  Brian was asked if he wanted the burl and he bought the whole thing.  Elms are a dying species because of Dutch Elm Disease and new trees only grow to a small diameter before they die.  Brian's wood supplier said that he had never seen such a large elm burl and it is unlikely that there will be any more in the future.  We have 3 bowls remaining for sale from the burl.

Most of us grew up loving the stately elms which graced our neighbourhoods.  It was a sad day in my childhood when all the diseased elms (including the one with my swing) were cut down on our farm.  This tree will live on forever in the bowls and platters that Brian has created.

http://www.huntsvilleartsociety.ca/

Transformation from Burl to Bowl

This large maple burl was delivered to Brian's workshop in the spring of last year. The tree on Wendy's property fell down and she gave Brian artistic freedom to see if there was a bowl within it.  It sat in the workshop for 9 months before Brian got up the courage to put it on the lathe.  The burl had bark formations that snaked around it and he wasn't sure if it would break apart as it turned.

Not all art starts with a chainsaw but Brian had to cut off the edges of the burl to make it round so that he could screw the faceplate onto the inner surface.

Brian rough-turned the outside of the bowl. Then he turned it around to put a chuck on the bottom and turned the inside.  He uses a sharp tool, a gouge, to shape the wood as it revolves very quickly on the lathe (up to about 800 RPM).

The burl had beautiful colours and grain with bark inclusions and an unusual shape.  The wood was sound and it survived being turned on the lathe to become a work of art.

Wendy was thrilled with her commission.  The burl that started as a knob on the side of her fallen tree is transformed into a bowl which has a place of honour in her home.  We used this photo in the brochure for the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour, September 25 & 26 and October 2 & 3, 2010.

http://www.muskokaautumnstudiotour.com/

Work at the Lathe

Brian starts his day with a bike ride to the corner for the paper (32 km round trip) and then he heads out to the workshop to his lathe.  He is often asked how long it takes to make a bowl or platter.  His answer is "about an hour or two on the lathe, up to a week for the coats of oil to dry and about 25 years to perfect the technique".

He's a happy guy now that his hobby is his profession.  He comes into the cottage from the workshop, excited about the character and figuring in the wood and loves to show me the beautiful bowls and platters that he has created.

A Passion for Wood

Limberlost Woodturning is a business which has developed from a passion for wood.  My name is Karen Markham and my husband, Brian Markham is a wood turner.  In 2007, we retired and we are living our dream.  We sold our house and business, quit our jobs and moved to the cottage.  We live in a log house, on a lake, in the forest.

We moved to Huntsville and Brian was invited to join a group of local artists as they started the Artists of the Limberlost Studio Tour.  The photo above is in our studio during the tour on August 14, 2010. 

We had two guest artists, Carol-Ann Michaelson who is a potter and Bob McLean who is a painter.  The display of Carol-Ann's beautiful pottery and Bob's Muskoka paintings with Brian's wood pieces, lit up the eyes of each guest as they walked into our workshop.

www.artistsofthelimberlost.ca

Brian's website is www.limberlostwoodturning.com

Carol-Ann's website is http://www.carolannmichaelson.ca/

This is the redwood root burl that we used in the Artists of the Limberlost studio tour brochure.