Woodturning in Basic Black brings together fourteen top studio artists working in wood. As indicated by the title, every piece in the show is indeed black, yet the result is a show of stunning variety and beauty.

Far from just a blank black ‘canvas’, wood brings a strong presence of its own to the creative process, demanding the cooperation and consideration of the artist, who needs not only vision but considerable technical knowledge and ability.

“At its most basic, black removes any distractions from material. What interests me primarily are form and texture, and how the grain structure interacts with the line of the vessel. The blackening process that I use does not obliterate the grain; instead it brings the structure of the wood into a sharper focus.” says Liam Flynn, an Irish woodturning artist who creates double-rimmed vessels out of bog oak.

Like the range of blacks in fine photography, or the shadows in Impressionist paintings, subtle differences in the blacks become more apparent as the eye adjusts, and black is no longer a single color: undertones of green, purple, blue or brown emerge.

The forms and surface elements are immediately striking, but don’t overwhelm the nature of the wood—the color temporarily disguises but then subtly accentuates the texture and grain, rewarding observers who pause long enough to really drink in the pieces.

Some woods are naturally black: Gorst duPlessis’ intricate ornamental-turned box, Lagniappe, is made from African blackwood, and Mary McKinney’s humorous Black Tie Party is impeccably turned and carved ebony.

“With a black wood,” states McKinney “It is more important to use reflected light as well as shadows to define the piece. When I turn and carve a wood that is essentially black, I like to create positive and negative spaces that catch the light and give a further dimension to the work.”

On lighter-colored woods, the artists used a variety of techniques to achieve a wide range of ‘black’ surfaces: scorching and charring, dyes, inks and graphite transform the color of those pieces.

Works are available for purchase, with prices ranging from $600-$4800. A list of participating artists is at the bottom of this page.

The exhibit will debut at the SOFA+Chicago show in November, then travel to the AAW Gallery of Wood Art, where it will be on display January 11th through April. 18th, 2008.

Dates:           Friday, January 11, 2008 – Friday April 18, 2008

Hours:           11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 12 to 3:00 p.m. Sunday.

Location:      222 Landmark Ctr, 75 W 5th St, St. Paul, MN 55102

Cost:             FREE

Ages:            All ages

Website:     woodturner.org/gallery

About the AAW Gallery of Wood Art

Sponsored by the American Association of Woodturners, a 13,000 member international organization headquartered in Saint Paul, the AAW Gallery of Wood Art hosts four to six exhibits each year by nationally and internationally known artists. The gallery also displays antique lathes and has a gift store featuring local turners.

Participating Artists

Sharon Doughtie, Gorst duPlessis, Liam Flynn, Mark Gardner, Matthew Hill, Todd Hoyer, John Jordan, Mary McKinney, Betty Scarpino, David Sengel, Hayley Smith, Al Stirt, Jacques Vesery, Molly Winton

Pictured above, turnings from: David Sengel, Todd Hoyer, Liam Flynn, Molly Winton, Hayley Smith, Jacques Vesery, Gorst duPlessis and Matthew Hill.