Artist Statement
"The natural beauty of wood can be celebrated and accentuated together with aspects of symmetry and form in well-designed turned wooden pieces. My excitement and fascination with wooden bowls, vessels, and hollow forms created on the wood lathe enables me to rise to the challenge of producing a form that will best display the native figure and color of the wood, in addition to creating a piece that is both pleasing and satisfying to the eye with respect to the form's shape and proportions. All of these factors interact dynamically as wood is removed in the process of turning to reveal the natural characteristics of this medium, which are universally appealing. The opportunity to expose grain patterns, subtle color or texture differences, and unique features of the wood is an endless source of inspiration that allows for "instantaneous creativity" and immediate gratification for the artist, as the spinning form develops on the lathe. With the development of each piece, the mystery of what lies beneath the bark is revealed, and the ability to share this beauty with others in the pieces I create is a source of personal pleasure and pride."
Rob Wallace, Woodturner
Robert S. Wallace, Ph.D.
2841 Torrey Pines Road, Ames, IA 50010-8946
Tel: 515-292-5785 – Cell: 515-231-2725 - robturns4u@gmail.com
http://rwallace.public.iastate.edu/gallery.html
Affiliations:
Iowa Arts Council – (Registered Artist)
Member, Octagon Center for the Arts - (Artist Membership)
Member, Ames Community Arts Council - (Artist Membership)
Member, American Association of Woodturners (AAW; National Organization)
Member, Ames Area Woodturners (Local Chapter of the AAW)
Member, Des Moines Woodturners (Local Chapter of the AAW)
Positions Held (in Art and Woodturning Organizations):
Board of Trustees, Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames Iowa – July 2010 to present
(President of Board of Trustees, July 2011 to June 2013; July 2014 to June 2016)
Board of Directors, American Association of Woodturners – January 2013 to December 2015 (3-year term)
Board of Advisers, American Association of Woodturners – January 2016 to Present
President, Ames Area Woodturners – 2010 to present
Recent Participation in Juried Exhibitions with accepted artwork:
- Iowa State Fair Juried Fine Art Exhibition - 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2007
- Octagon Center for the Arts (Ames, IA) - “Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood Exhibition” - [2008-2019]
- Octagon Center for the Arts (Ames, IA) - “Community of Artists Exhibition” – 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2009
- Iowa Artisans Gallery (Iowa City, IA) - “Woodturned Vessels” - 2009 (invited exhibit)
- Mills Gallery (Central College Pella, IA) - “What Would Wood Do?” - 2014 (one of 3 invited artists)
- Central Iowa Art Association (Marshalltown, IA) - “Art and the Men of Central Iowa” - 2014
- MacNider Art Museum (Mason City, IA) - “Area Show 44” – 2014
- Cedar Rapids Museum of Art (Cedar Rapids, IA) - "Midwest Summer: Light and Warmth" - 2015
- Gallery in the Round (Ames, IA) - “Ames is 150: Her Story, His Story, Our Story” – 2014-2015
- MacNider Art Museum (Mason City, IA) - “Iowa Craft 42” – 2015-2016
- Cedar Rapids Museum of Art (Cedar Rapids, IA) - "Into the Blue" - 2019
Awards Received for Artwork:
- Iowa State Fair Juried Fine Art Exhibition – Merit Award, 2013
- Iowa State Fair Juried Fine Art Exhibition – Media Award, Sculpture – First Place, 2007
- Iowa State Fair Juried Fine Art Exhibition – Media Award, Sculpture – Third Place, 2008
- Iowa State Fair Juried Fine Art Exhibition – Media Award, Sculpture – Honorable Mention, 2019
- Iowa State Fair – Woodworking (Turned Items) and Creative Arts (Woodworking) – Various first place awards
(Blue Ribbons) 2005 -2008; and Second Place awards (Red Ribbon) 2009 – 2011; 2014, 2019
- Octagon Center for the Arts, “Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood Juried Exhibit” – First Place Award, 2010
- Octagon Center for the Arts, “Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood Juried Exhibit” – First Place Award, 2015
- MacNider Art Museum, “Iowa Craft 42” – Media Award: Best in Metal/Wood - 2015
Consignment Artwork Sales Venues:
- Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Museum Store, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Octagon Center for the Arts, Gallery Shop, Ames, Iowa
- Iowa Artisans Gallery, Iowa City, Iowa
- MacNider Art Museum, Mason City, Iowa
Woodturning Demonstrations Presented at Local, Regional, and National Symposia and Meetings:
Woodturning demonstrations presented to: Ames Area Woodturners; Des Moines Woodturners; Corridor Woodturners (Cedar Rapids, IA); Loess Hills Woodturners (Omaha, NE); Quad Cities Woodturners (Rock Island, IL); Kansas City Woodturners; Chicago Woodturners (Mundelein, IL); American Association of Woodturners National Symposium (Portland, OR; Hartford, CT; St. Paul, MN; San Jose, CA; Tampa, FL; Phoenix, AZ, Pittsburgh, PA)
Woodturning Demonstrations Available for Presentation:
- "Introduction to Woodturning"
- Background and basic information about woodturning suitable for beginners.
- "The Physics of Woodturning: The Why and How of Turning Tool Use"
- Explains how the lathe and woodturning tools work; rotational forces, forms of cutting, tool positions.
- "Basic Principles of Bowl and Vessel Design"
- Reviews fundamentals of shape, scale, curves, and aesthetics of turned forms.
- "Complexity and Diversity of Wood"
- Reviews tree anatomy, cell growth, milling of lumber, drying properties, and diversity of wood.
- "Introduction to Wood Identification"
- Provides the basic information needed to identify wood using cell structures and keys.
[Note: A hands-on class in wood identification can be arranged - please inquire]
- "Hints and Tips for Setting-up a Safe and Efficient Woodturning Workstation"
- Explains ergonomics and set-up of the lathe area; emphasizes safety, efficiency, tool racks, etc..
- "Woodturning Gizmos and Gadgets"
- Explains how inexpensive and re-purposed items can be used for woodturning.
Woodturning and Sculpting Techniques Used/Instructed:
- Basic Woodturning: Spindles and Bowls (Beginner and Intermediate classes)
- Deep vessels: Hand tools, boring bars, captured systems
- Small-entry hollowing: Production of hollow forms, urns, lidded vessels
- Bowl coring, making spheres, laminated and segmented vessels
- Wood Carving and Sculpting: Traditional and Power Carving
- Surface embellishment, pyrography, texturing
- Coloration and patination; use of dyes and bleaches; inlay techniques