Members of the Flint Hills Woodturners will exhibit their art throughout the month of July at the Lee Dam Center for Fine Art, Marysville. The group is composed of woodturners in northeastern Kansas who gather to share their love of the craft.
The exhibit, “Wood in the Round: The Craft of Woodturning,” opens Thursday, July 4, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be a reception to meet the artists Sunday, July 7, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served. The exhibit closes Thursday, July 25.
The art center is open Thursdays from 4-6 p.m.; Saturdays from 10-4 p.m.; Sundays from 1-4 p.m.
Woodturners use a wood lathe with hand-held tools to cut a shape that is symmetrical around an axis. Similar to the way artists use a potter’s wheel, the wood lathe is a machine that allows turners to create a variety of forms: bowls, vases, candlesticks, sculptures.
The origins of woodturning can be found in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs where a worker is depicted, operating a primitive bow-driven hand drill. This is the first indication of the use of the bow as a means of spinning a tool.
The turning process has not changed much over the years until modern automatic machinery came into use; it has remained a skilled manual craft.
Woodturning is often referred to as a romantic art because it uses wood that is formed by the seasons, and allows for a unique type of artistic expression that involves both the mind and the body.
Fifteen woodturners will have their work on display at the exhibition sponsored by the Marshall County Arts Cooperative.
More information is available at the arts cooperative’s website marshallcountyarts.org.
