MAC Award of Excellence for Wood Turning

The artistic talents of Muskoka Arts & Crafts were showcased at the Spring Members' Show last weekend and it was impressive.  From painting to glass, pottery to sculpture, furniture to wood turning, MAC fosters the creative spirit of a vibrant artists' community.

What an honour it was for Brian to receive the MAC Award of Excellence for Wood Turning.

Brian entered three spectacular pieces in the "Year Of The Forest" show: a maple burl platter-Global Forest; a cedar burl vessel-Forest's Awakening; and a box elder bowl-Passion.

Each is a distinctive and elegant work of art with depth of grain, colour and natural edge.  Congratulations to Brian!

Quilted Maple Platter

This beautiful maple platter has incredible texture, character and rare figuring.  What sets it apart from other wood is that it is quilted maple which has a wavy pattern, like ripples on water. Brian never knows what lies within the slab of wood until he turns it on the lathe.  The highly prized quilting, the variations of colour, the spalting and the bark edge make this an exquisite piece.

Keely called today, looking for a gift for a friend in Banff after visiting with her for a week.  The friend is an artist and Keely is pleased that she can show her appreciation by sending her this special quilted maple platter.

Black Walnut Limb Platter

Black walnut is a deciduous North American tree with deeply furrowed black bark. These slabs, cut on the diagonal through the limb, have distinctive dark brown heartwood and lighter sapwood on the outer edge.

The variations in colour from butternut to dark brown with visible growth rings made a unique platter.  Brian experimented with a raised lip, offset from the centre, with great results.



From the raw slab of wood to the finished platter--beautiful.  I can imagine cheese and grapes arranged on the outer edge and crackers in the centre bowl.  Appetizers never looked better.

Trees and Travel

We have just returned from a three week trip through the United States down to Key West, Florida with a stop in Savannah, Georgia for a few days on the way back.  We love winter in Canada but it is a joy to sit by the ocean, feel the warm sun, eat seafood, and have fun with friends.  A huge snow storm hit Huntsville last night and we woke up to a winter wonderland.

Looking at our photos, I was struck by how many different species of trees we saw.  We had an airboat trip in the Everglades through a mangrove swamp, trees which thrive in salt water.  Contrast this to the magnificent banyan trees in Key West, the palms by the ocean, and the Spanish moss which covered the stately trees in Savanah.  Magnolias in bloom on Friday and four inches of snow on our pines on Sunday.  Isn't travel wonderful?