Just Turning Around

2011-09-04T19:49:00.003-06:00

This is another bowl I turned while at the art crawl. This box elder bowl is about 4" x 2" with a oil finish. It was sold during the crawl.

It's Been a Long Time

2011-08-19T07:41:00.011-06:00

since my last post. I have not been turning for over a year. It is really great to be turning again.

I turned this piece of cherry during the art crawl in 2010. I was at The Millpond Art Studio & Gallery. Brent took me over to his firewood pile and i picked out a log that had a fork in it. I gave the bowl to Brent.

It has an oil finish. The cracks in the bottom were forming as the oil was drying. I hope it held together for him.

2010-04-04T07:24:00.004-06:00

7.25" x 4.625" maple, some very nice figure

2010-04-02T20:39:00.004-06:00

This is a splendid maple bowl. Color, character, shape, and it is a nice size. 5.75" x 2.5"

2010-04-02T16:37:00.003-06:00

5" x 2.5" maple bowl

2010-04-01T15:38:00.002-06:00

3.5" x 1.5" maple

Heavy Bottom Bowl

2010-03-31T20:38:00.004-06:00

This maple bowl is 6.125" x 1.875". The bottom is extra thick, making the bowl significantly heavier.

2010-03-30T21:22:00.003-06:00

Maple bowl is 4.625" x 2.5"

Hole in the Bowl

2010-03-29T20:33:00.003-06:00

This maple bowl is 4.5" x 1.5". It has an open knot hole and some bark.

Jerry's Set

2010-03-24T16:14:00.008-06:00

This bowl and plate set was made for my Uncle Jerry. Jerry sent the walnut up from Arkansas.

2010-03-20T19:40:00.003-06:00

4.5" x 1.75 bur oak bowl

Tealight Stands

2010-03-16T18:53:00.003-06:00

Made from spalted maple this fathers pair stands about 5.5" tall. Front and back view are shown. They have a lacquer finish.

2010-03-15T19:39:00.002-06:00

This bur oak bowl is4.625" x 2", it has a walnut oil finish.

First Box Elder

2010-03-13T19:40:00.005-06:00

F. The box elder for this piece comes from a 48" diameter tree. I was asked to cut this tree down, what was left of it. It was on Mill Avenue in Anoka. I found several nails in it, indicating many years of tree forts. First Box Elder is 5.75" x 4" tall.

2010-03-08T20:31:00.000-06:00

2010North Artists Studio Crawl
2010 will mark the 10th anniversary that artists from the north suburban area will collaborate to open their studios to the public for two days; Saturday, April 10, 10 A.M.-6 P.M., and Sunday, April 11, 10 A.M.-6 P.M.

The studios are located in the north suburban communities of Anoka, Ramsey, Coon Rapids, East Bethel, Blaine, Ham Lake, and Bethel. This year over forty artists will be participating. Watch for signs to direct you, and there is a printable map that can be downloaded from our web site at www.nascrawl.org.

Everyone invited to drive on a self-guided tour to see a variety of artwork in all media including paintings, wildlife art, pastels, pottery, garden art, stained and art glass, iron sculpture, and jewelry. You have the opportunity to see art and working studios from some of your areas most accomplished artists. Admission is free and all artwork is for sale.

New and fun, in celebrating the tenth anniversary of the art crawl, will be "Art Crawl Bingo""! Everyone is invited to pick up a bingo card at any of the participating studios or sponsors. Get your card stamped at each studio you visit. Ten stamps makes you eligible for a drawing for a $50 studio gift certificate. Fifteen stamps makes you eligible for a drawing for a $100 studio gift certificate.

The Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Krista Artista Gallery, the Anoka-County Arts Alliance, and Truffles & Tortes, are the proud sponsors of this year’s crawl. The Art Crawl includes a mentor program that spotlights art students from Anoka-Ramsey Community College. Students will be showing their work at various studios. Guest artists will also be exhibiting their work at a number of studios making this years show fresh and diverse.

The Studio Crawl helps build awareness of the visual arts in the northern suburbs, provides a venue for artists to interact with the public and exhibit their work, and it gives people in the community an opportunity to view and purchase high quality art created by local artists.

This activity is made possible, in part, by funds provided by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council through an grant from the McKnight Foundation and an appropriation by the Minnesota Legislature.

chip and dip

2010-03-06T20:00:00.004-06:00

10.625" x 2.5" bur oak.

2010-03-05T19:23:00.003-06:00

This is a beautiful deep bowl. Bur oak, 7.25" x 5.75"

2010-03-04T20:03:00.002-06:00

Box elder plate. 6.325" x 1". That is a hole in the center.

2010-03-03T20:45:00.003-06:00

Bur oak bowl 4.5" x 1.75"

2010-02-28T08:23:00.002-06:00

This plate is 7.4" x 0.75". Spalted maple, oil finish.

2010-02-26T21:04:00.002-06:00

Bur oak bowl 5.75" x 2.25", walnut oil finish.

2010-02-23T20:21:00.003-06:00

This spalted maple plate is 6.3" x 0.75"

2010-02-21T19:23:00.004-06:00

Spalted maple rescued from the firewood pile. This bowl is 4.125" x 1.5", finished with walnut oil.

2010-02-21T07:45:00.003-06:00

This bur oak bowl is 4.5" x 2.875"

Spalted Maple Vase

2010-02-08T21:03:00.005-06:00

This vase is 4 1/2" x 7 1/2". The spalted maple was rescued from the firewood pile. On display at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, February 19 to June 13, 2010.

http://www.artsmia.org/

2010-01-30T10:17:00.009-06:00

(top 2 left)This is about a 10" bowl, bur oak, polyurethane finish. (top right)A short candle stand, walnut. The next vase and candle stand were donated to chrch for a fund raiser. The folks at church are great encouragers. The next bowl, one of my early pieces, (on the right) is Canadian Red Cherry with no finish. This was turned green and has warped nicely.

(bottom two) My first bowl, very interesting and very challenging.
The spoon literally jumped out of a log I was splitting. The handle is a little short because that was all the longer the log was.

...

2009-12-16T16:39:00.008-06:00

Bur oak bowls.7.5" x 3" and 7.25" x 3.125"

11-4-2009

2009-11-04T15:09:00.000-06:00

These three pairs of pictures are vases made of bur oak.
3.75" x 10.5"
4" x 12.75"
3.5" x 11.325"

The lower two pictures are a candle stand, 3" x 13.625" made of spalted maple.

2009-10-24T07:04:00.000-06:00

Six bur oak bowls that I have turned this summer. Usually 3 pictures per bowl; top. bottom, side.
The sizes from top to bottom:
7 x 3.25,
6.875 x 3.1215,
6.125 x 2.75,
5.5 x 1.125,
5 x 2,
4.5 x 2.375

No Pictures

2009-10-02T10:06:00.000-06:00

Today is rainy Minnesota fall type day. For us it has held some excitement as Ken sold a "Father's Pair" to a friend in the UK.
What a blessing to be able to do that. I know Ken prays as he does any piece that it would find the home the Lord wants it to have, that it would bless the receiver. I know he felt that this piece had definitely gone to just who needed.
I love pictures but due to a computer crash we have to work on saving /rescuing them, not quite sure which it is , I leave that to the guys around here that know that kind of thing, so I just thought I would write a wee bit without getting to girlie on my hubby.
I do love that fact we can make mental memory pictures, ones that can't be crashed. There are so many in my head. They can never be taken away and it seems even as I get older they stick with me, and I like that lots. Well I do hope some of you reading make them too and if you don't give it a try. A memory last a lifetime, Have a blessed day!

Inspiration

2009-09-27T22:35:00.000-06:00

Sometimes life hands us the most inspiring kinds of people. We have been so blessed to have many in our lives.

This is our oldest grandson Elliot with grandpa during a camping trip. He recently became a big brother, a roll I think he is finding suits him well, but I am the grandma, so there may be some bias.

He inspires, entertains, and just brings us so much joy. We are so thankful for our grandsons.

It was because of my wanting a top for Elliot that Ken made these tops, they are so unique each one slightly different then the next, they work either with or with out the base. I am so excited to have the boys try these, though it may be one of those toys that daddy has to play with for Ben for awhile.

A Father's Pair

2009-09-23T22:07:00.000-06:00

This is Jen, and I have to confess when I first heard Ken, say" Oh those I am going to call "A Father's Pair" I just said OK and continued on with marking prices for the craft sale he was bringing them to.

But tonight as I was watching him get ready to put some of his art in Krista Artista Gallery, in Anoka, it was cool to see how much he cared about each piece . It was while we were there that Ken told me that the Father's pair was a idea of a Father being able to get something for his wife and daughter both at the same time, that were similar yet unique and special , like both the mom and daughter. Thus here I sit late at night thinking about Ken,about the amazing gift he has been given to see art in a piece of wood, and this idea and I just had to blog right NOW, as Ken is so sweet and kind and LOVES his daughters so much (Oh and I do know they will be so honored he thought of an idea out of his love for them) and the thought that one day we could have these or my mom and I could have them, hint hint dad, gave me such a warm heart moment. So thus I am sharing it with all of you.

Life has been full of much lately and more posts are to come.

May your day be full of blessings!

Jen

Oh and for Ken I will ad the type of wood and sizes, cause he likes details, ( I do Love you babe)

Upper Left, is Bur Oak, and they are 6inches for the larger one and 4 and 5/8ths for the smaller.

Upper right is Box Elder , I so love the red in these pieces, and the quilting God makes such amazing things doesn't he!!

Sizes are 6 and 5

And last but not least, MY Favorite another made with Box Elder, these are 5 3/4 and 4 3/4 inches.

2009-09-12T17:53:00.000-06:00

This wood came from the half of the tree that came down the year before in the storm. The cup is about 5" x 6" and is finished with tung oil finish.

2009-09-12T17:45:00.000-06:00

This bowl and the next cup were sold to a pottery friend. Both are bur oak. the bowl is finished with walnut oil and measures about 10" x 4"

Dumbbells

2009-09-12T16:59:00.000-06:00

This is a set of dumbbells I made for Jenni. They are made from Ipe. One each, one pound and two pounds.

chips and dip

2009-06-05T20:56:00.000-06:00

This piece my son called "chips and dip". It is bur oak finished with tung oil. It was turned green over about a month, stored in chips(wood) between turning sessions. I did not get a chance to measure it, but it is about 11" by 3".

Hello Jen writing again. This piece is an Open form turning and was made for Our Dear Pastor and His Precious Wife, whom we are so blessed to not only have in the role of Pastor and his wife in our lives, but as our Precious brother and sister in Christ, and dear friends!!

Pastor is doing my son Chad’s wedding on June 6th, Oh what an amazing evening it was watching my son up there practicing for his wedding in the morning.

Oh how time goes by so fast, I remember the very day he was born, it hardly seems like 22 years ago, and all children are such a miracle and gift from the Lord, Chad’s life has been an extra special miracle to me, as he was born 14 ½ weeks premature and spent the first 3 months of his life in the NICU, and came very close to death several times, but I gave him to the Lord from birth, and God chose to allow him to live here with me, and seeing the amazing young man he has grown to be is so awesome and such a blessing.

You may be wondering what all this has to do with wood working, but I so look at the beautiful things my dear husband makes out of trees that the Lord has growing all over the place,and I think of the Bible verse, in Psalms 1:3 how the Lord says … “and he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season.” Even after we think a tree is gone, out of it can still come beauty.

I pray that like a tree my son continues to grow deep roots in the Lord, and that no matter what storms may come his way because of those deep roots he will survive. And that like a tree he bare much beautiful fruit.

May you have a wonderful blessed weekend.

Ken again, is't it great the way she puts some heart in my blogs. Thanks Jen

closed form

2009-06-05T20:33:00.000-06:00

This is my first closed form. Bur oak with Tung Oil finish. It is six and one half inches wide, three and one half inches high, two inch plus opening. The form was turned green.

4-11-2009

2009-04-12T21:16:00.001-06:00

Hi... This is Jen, Ken's wife and I get to write some blogs for him about the wonderful things he has been given a gift to create...

This one was made for one of the most special people in our lives, Ken's mom...for her 74th birthday.

It is a pen holder and pens are able to be placed in the holes around the outer edge, and the center also has an opening for paper clips, or as she used it for CHOCOLATE!

I am so blessed to have been given such a talented hubby!

4-12-2009

2009-04-12T20:19:00.000-06:00

Hi, Jen here again,
This is a vase Kenny made for me, these are all the facts about it,
measures 5 ½ across the top , ½“ out of round , it became a bit triangle shape as it was further drying , makes it so unique, it is made from bur oak, turned green and then dried, 3½' bottom, Tung oil finish, for those of you who like the facts, and for those who like me just want to know one little thing.... Yes it is beautiful , fully able to hold any flower arrangement and sturdy and strong, made with Ken's 100% absolute need to do it perfect, and I bet he threw in some love since it was for me.

I am so certain there is nothing this man can not make that he sets his mind to. I look at all the gifts he has made in the last few years and the love and thought and time he puts in to them, the candle stick trio he has posted he made in a week, when we were able to go on a spur of the moment visit to see my cousin and celebrate her birthday with her, it was one of those special numbers, but I won't say here cause I don't want her posting that birthday of mine anywhere. But I will say she LOVED her candle sticks.

Then there was His son's wedding and for the bridal shower he made Kristy the most AMAZING cutting boards, a small and large matching one, and it is so great to go to their house and see that they not only like it but use it too... I will have to get some pictures of it and show you...hint hint Ken, I still would love one.

Thanks for looking at our site, and if you have any questions we will answer all emails.

candle stand

2009-03-30T19:51:00.000-06:00

This candle stand is over 10" tall, It will hold 2 types of candles, taper and a tea light. The wood is spalted maple. It was turned a little green and it now has a marvelous texture.