AAW Hartford

I need to post some of my thoughts and experiences from the 2010 AAW convention in Hartford CT.  I had a great time.  Sometimes I got way overwhelmed by all the art, talent,  potential opportunities, and people... so many people!  A couple of the big picture things that I came away with are:

1.  seeing things and people that I have seen online, in print or @ our club meetings.

This is an example of something I saw on WoodCentral.com and couldn't believe it when I saw it/them and then when I saw it I was still dumbfounded that it was so cool and mesmerizing.    I went out with 2 friends Friday night for dinner and ran into woodturners Barbara, Pat and Dixie.  We went to 4 restaurants  before we could find one with room to eat.  Barbara had done a demo at MCW and it was very interesting.  She had candlesticks on the table and one in the silent auction and Phil won it.   They kept talking about Pat's entry in the Acer (maple) display that and the wonderful sphere.  I had not had a chance to check out that area but I am impressed as well! and Dixie seemed to have taken the show by storm, she had a cool entry in the Acer exhibit, this lipstick teapot in the teapot exhibit, and was picked out of the Instant Gallery with an excellence award.

2  The whimsy and thought that some people can do.  The chapter challenge is very cool where groups of people come together to pull a project together. 

There also is often an item that makes a statement, where this one is a bunch oft "human forms" in different woods with "one root".

3.  Things that will take me out of my comfort zone but may be doable and or at least a good starting place.  This cube from the Acer exhibit is a good example.  Many of the demos also did this as well.

4.  And finally how did they think of that.. this was turned at the show buy one of the emerging artists exhibit with twigs glued into the base and put in a block of ice and then the ice block was turned.  Several people commented on how cool that was with the water flying everywhere!  I am bummed I missed it.