within the limits imposed by the machine. Her highly original combination of wood and epoxy, both as a binding agent and a sculptural medium, allows her to create unique vessels that defy the limits of the traditional wooden form. In her work, it is not always easy to tell what is wood and what is plastic, nor is it easy to detect the lathe’s circular argument in the final form.
I see the vessels as representing those grand social events set back in an era when elegance and style were the cultural ideal. I want the viewer to think of fine dinner parties, tuxes and tails, top hats and formal gowns.
Artist Profile
Marilyn earned a degree in anthropology but when, with her future husband, she built a 36–foot sailboat to see the world, she launched herself to a career in woodturning in 1980; self-taught, she was inspired by Stephen Hogbin and Binh Pho.
Studio location: Kincardine, Canada
Full Regalia, 2006, holly, epoxy, cherry, purpleheart, paint; 9 ¾" high × 9 ½" long × 3" wide. Campbell says, “Full Regalia, being very formal and somewhat austere, echoes the pomp and pageantry of a royal parade.”
Come Here Often? 2007, holly, epoxy, paint, curly maple, purpleheart, dye; 9" high × 7 ¾" long × 2 ½" wide. Campbell says, “Come Here Often? brings to mind a slightly inebriated gent in formal attire trying that age-old line.”
Celebration, 2006, holly, epoxy, cherry, purpleheart, paint; 8 ½" high × 8 ½" long × 2 ¾" wide. “In keeping with my theme of high-society decadence, I wanted to give this piece a mood of music and motion,” Campbell says. “A celebration of life’s good times.”
Persuasion, 2006, holly, epoxy, cherry, purpleheart, epoxy, fiberglass, paint; 7 ⅝" high × 8" long × 2 ½" wide.
VIRGINIA DOTSON
Woodturning gives Virginia Dotson the opportunity to explore stack-laminating techniques, while its limited scale allows her to develop a concept by working quickly through ideas. She likes to imitate the natural layering of wood grain in her laminated plywood projects. The layers remind her of the sedimentary rock landscapes in the deserts she often visits.
I find interesting interactions between the wood figure and the patterns I have created by layering different woods together. My laminated wood vessels are an expression of the landscape.
Artist Profile
b. 1943 Newton, Massachusetts
Raised in a family of musicians, Virginia studied art at Arizona State University, where she encountered woodturning as an art form; she took early inspiration from Wendell Castle, Bob Stocksdale, and Rudy Osolnik; began her woodworking career as furniture maker before turning to fine art.
Studio location: Scottsdale, Arizona
Sunlight Series #22, 2004. Curly birch and ebonized walnut, 9 ¼" high × 7 ¼" diameter. Dotson says the layers of wood echo “layered forms I have observed in nature, like the sedimentary rock landscapes common in the Southwestern United States where I live. Their history is recorded among the layers.”
Spiral Vessels, 2001. Italian poplar plywood, graphite; 9" high × 10 ¾" wide × 15 ½" deep. Just as a calligraphic brush stroke can contain an entire concept through gesture, Dotson uses form to capture experience and movement.
After Image, 2003. Baltic birch plywood; 7 ¾" high × 10 ¾" wide × 13 ½" deep. Says Dotson, “Animation and beauty may be found in the coexistence of opposites: positive and negative, light and dark, form and space.”
Crosswinds, 1990. Wenge, maple; 6 ¼" high × 16 ¼" diameter; permanent collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
HARVEY FEIN
An inventor and machinist by training and temperament, Harvey Fein starts with an idea for a project then moves on to drafting the shape of it on paper and determining the best jig setup to accomplish it. For his complex designs to succeed, the wood must be bone-dry and tight-grained, which is why he tends to work with kiln-dried tropical hardwoods. He has also modified his Stubby 1000 lathe with a variety of jigs, auxiliary tools, and extensions to make exquisite final pieces.
The feel, the smell, the dust, the chips, the oil, the wax, sanding, shaping—everything about wood appeals to me.
Artist Profile
Harvey got into woodturning in the late 1990s after being gifted a home-turned bowl by a friend; inspired by David Ellsworth and Leon Lacoursiere, he has pursued his hobby alongside his career as co-owner of a window shade business based in New York City.
Studio location: Northwestern New Jersey
Untitled, 2007. Olive; 1 ½" high × 15 ½" wide × 15 ½" deep. “When I opened up this piece of olive, the linearity of the grain, along with the dark edge, suggested squares. I have done large squares and
