Damascus Open Studios
Brett is a Guest Artist at Studio #1
“I am a woodturner. I make bowls, boxes, utensils and various other items on my lathe.
Dale Larson sparked my interest in Woodturning in 2004 when I watched him turn a bowl in his shop. I didn’t start turning until 2022. My inspiration is the beautiful timber that we are surrounded by here in the Pacific Northwest. I love making utilitarian items that people can use in their daily lives.”
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Kathleen is a Guest Artist at Studio #1
Kathleen creates functional, whimsical, and artistic pieces on a wood lathe. The material she uses is sourced from local trees. She embellishes some of her work by piercing with a dental drill or applying paint with an airbrush. The functional pieces she makes are often dictated by the wood selected. Some woods work better than others for certain functions. Her pierced work is often inspired by nature.
As a child, Kathleen was introduced to woodturning by watching her father make knobby-legged furniture for the family. She was fascinated as chips flew off the spinning wood. Unfortunately, it never occurred to either that he could teach her the craft he so enjoyed. It wasn’t until after his death that she first attempted to turn something on the Shopsmith she’d inherited from him. Although not entirely successful, she knew why her father had so enjoyed working with wood and she was hooked. Little did she know those early attempts lead to an art and craft through which she would meet turners from all over the world and even take her to Turkey to demonstrate her craft.
Website: https://www.kathleenduncan.com/
Daniel is the host of Studio #9
Living and moving a great deal around the Pacific Northwest of America for the majority of my youth, I developed a keen sense of both outer and inner relationship between myself and nature. I am drawn at once to both the natural world and to my own inner psyche.
I set about from an early age to try and capture the essences, layers and duality of living in both these worlds simultaneously. As I progressed through school and graduated from Linfield University with an Art and Creative writing double major, I was constantly seeking to capture these energies and layers and present them through various mediums, graphite, pen and ink, intaglio etchings, poetry, paintings in acrylic and oil and my deepest love, carving wood.
My art tends to be auto-biographical and mostly symbolic, with a mixture of natural references and metaphoric or even existential imagery. It encompasses my time passing and all that implies, birth, death, marriage, divorce, success, failure… the changing of the seasons.
I like to think that my art delivers meaning on various levels at once, and I enjoy creating images that have subtle, almost hidden symbology and story– so that the viewer will be drawn in and hopefully receive a personal connection by interpreting in their own way the images they find.
Website: https://www.dclydestudios.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d.clydestudios/
Dale is the host of Studio #1
I have been turning wood for 47 years. I turn mostly woods from trees here in the northwest. Some are native like Big Leaf Maple and Pacific Madrone, and some are planted here like Walnut and Apple. Turning bowls and other things out of wood from trees that grew in this area directly connects me to the land around me. Most of my wood comes from trees that have died or been taken down for some reason. I get many calls from people who are sad they’ve had to take down a tree that died or had to be removed for another reason. They just don’t want to burn their tree and want to know if something can be made from it.
Turning wood brings balance to my life. I get to deal with nice people and pretty wood. And I know the bowls I turn will be around in someone’s home for many years, hopefully being used every day. Coming from the farm, most of my woodturnings need to be functional. I simply appreciate that something I made with my hands is being used and enjoyed by someone.
And I believe that an artist has a duty to teach his/her craft to the next generation. Woodturning has been around for 5-7000 years. I am just a short continuation of a long history of woodturning.
Gary is a Guest Artist at Studio #4.
I create original design food safe cutting boards, ribbon and jewelry boxes, trivets and coaster sets made from local and exotic woods.
My lifetime experience as a woodworker and carpenter reflects in the pieces I create out of local and exotic woods. I focus on detail and fine finish of my wood pieces that not only can be displayed, but also are very serviceable. My cutting boards, coaster sets, and trivets are of original design and highly functional. No stains are applied to the cutting boards; the boards are food safe and feature the natural beauty of the woods and unique designs. I also make heirloom quality items like jewelry boxes and ribbon boxes.
Ron is the host of Studio #11
Experience leaves marks.
There are pressures we face in life, both externally and from that little voice in our head. My work reflects the impact of those stressors, producing texture and patina on ourselves while we strive to find balance and preserve our essence. My work represents the pursuit of contentment, knowing that these tensions are a permanent part of our journey.
I’ve been working with wood across many different forms for 35 years. I first turn wood on a lathe and carve it into shape with chisels. I turn the wood to 1/8 of an inch thick. Voids are created by hand using a high-speed carver. Black texture is added through stippling using a wire-tipped wood burner. In specific cases, I’ll add paint or metal leaf for additional color and character. Depending on the size and complexity, the time to complete a piece varies between 15 – 80 hours.
Instagram: ronpurvisart
Facebook: ronpurvisart