Sherryl H. Goldfinger

Artist’s Statement

The first cut was the sweetest.

Bowls

One of the things I love about woodturning is the initial cut into a piece of a tree when its figuring and color is exposed. For this show I decided to make simple yet functional bowls that show the beauty of the wood. Turning wood can also show its history as in the case of one piece that had many bullets in it. No wonder the chain saw was having trouble cutting that piece!

Books

Several years ago, on the day after I heard Jeff Bezo, the founder of Amazon.com, announce the e-reader, I signed up for a class for making books by hand. Many books can be replaced by an e-reader. But there is still a place for beautiful books. Art books, books that we fill with our own words and images, and books that are themselves pieces of art. All of my books have wood covers, most of which were turned on a lathe, hand folded paper and hand stitching. I want to thank Herb Helsel of Langley Clock and Gallery for giving me the tiny gears and springs that I incorporated in some of these books.

After experimenting with various art forms – drawing, painting, jewelry, and metal casting – I was looking for an easy way to make a round shape for a casting project. To make a perfectly round form I took a one day class in woodturning. The moment the tool cut into the wood, I knew that this was what I wanted to do. That was in 1999. The lathe is still my primary tool, and all my pieces are worked on the lathe for some part of the process.

As a member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW) and Whidbey Island Woodworkers Guild, I have found that woodturners have a strong tradition of mentoring each other. I have certainly been aided in the craftsmanship by many informal sessions with artists along the way. But like any artistic endeavor, woodturning is many hours of hands-on learning.

The feel of the wood, the sound of the tool making a cut, the beauty of the grain, the smell of the forest are all attractive to me. When I noticed that people were reluctant to pick up a finished piece I took it as a challenge to create work that was irresistible to touch.

For these candlesticks, I chose Douglas fir, a wood that is most commonly used for construction and often overlooked for its artistic value. But I love the grain of this wood and felt that it would work well with the non-geometric shape of these pieces.

Sherryl H. Goldfinger