February 8, 1997 to July 20, 1997
Wood: Masterworks from the Wornick Collection
Presented by the Art Department

The expressive beauty of turned and shaped wood objects is the focus of Expressions in Wood: Masterworks from the Wornick Collection, on view Feb. 8 through July 20, 1997, at the Oakland Museum of California. The exhibition, drawn from the collection of San Francisco Bay Area collectors Anita and Ron Wornick, includes 61 works by 42 artists from the United States, Australia and England, and represents the range and inventiveness of contemporary wooden vessel artistry.

The exhibition, organized by former Curator of Decorative Arts Kenneth R. Trapp and project director Tran Turner, presents interpretations of the vessel form in an array of lush and sensual woods. Represented are Derek Bencomo, Edward Bosley, Christian Burchard, M. Dale Chase, Rod Cronkite, Mike Darlow, Virginia Dotson, Dennis Elliott, David Ellsworth, J. Paul Fennell, Ron Fleming, Giles Gilson, David Groth, Michelle Holzapfel, Robyn Horn, Todd Hoyer, Stephen Hughes, William Hunter, John Jordan, Ron Kent, Dan Kvitka, C.H. (Bud) Latven, Mark Lindquist, Bert Marsh, Bruce Mitchell, William Moore, Philip Moulthrop, Jim Partridge, Michael Peterson, Peter Pierobon, Andrew Ptocnik, Gene Pozzesi, Hap Sakwa, Norm Sartorius, Mike Scott, Lincoln Seitzman, Michael Shuler, Bob Stocksdale, Ben Trupperbäumer, Howard Werner, Vic Wood, and Ron Wornick.

Bert Marsh, of England, and Bob Stocksdale, of Berkeley, Calif., are among the pioneers to champion this relatively new artistic medium. In their simple, graceful vessel shapes, they explore the inherent beauty of wood grain patterns. Both Stocksdale and Marsh use the basic technology of the lathe as an integral part of their aesthetic.

Most other artists in the exhibition use the lathe as a point of departure. David Ellsworth's Machel has been cut after the turning process, then reformed and painted to create an exceptionally well-defined experimental work. Lincoln Seitzman reconfigures the surface of his pieces to appear woven, drawing on designs from Native American basket making. Hap Sakwa's untitled vessel form appears to have been turned, but was actually constructed from multiple pieces of wood without ever having been on a lathe.

Other artists push the limits of what the lathe can do. The large size and weight of Australian Mike Scott's wall piece Chai challenges viewers' understanding of the lathe as a technology for aesthetic expression. Pioneering Australian Vic Wood merges a square form with a circular one, creating works with an architectural appearance. American Todd Hoyer and Australian Stephen Hughes both have turned works with spheres that exist between flat planes. William Moore's Cumulus represents the interest some artists have in combining wood with other materials, in this case turned metal.

Woodturning has a long history in California art. James Prestini (1908-1993), an engineer-turned-artist who is considered to be the father of the wood-turned object, arrived in Berkeley in 1946 to teach at the University of California. His new way of looking at woodturning, with his emphasis on the design and shape of the object, influenced an entire generation. Bob Stocksdale was Prestini's younger contemporary. Born in 1913 in Indiana, he taught himself woodworking, and began working with the lathe in the 1930s. He continued making his lathe-turned pieces during his internment in a series of conscientious objectors camps during World War II. Moving to Berkeley in 1944, he soon began exhibiting his work and influencing younger artists.

A more widespread interest in lathe-turned wood objects arose with what is generally termed the crafts revolution of the 1960s. During a volatile and exciting era, many pushed the limits of traditional functional materials such as wood, glass and clay. Their experiments and discoveries revolutionized how vessel forms were shaped, viewed and valued. Artists created a sculptural aesthetic, bringing the inherent qualities of the medium -- grain, color and sometimes interesting imperfections -- to the forefront. Yet they retained references to wood's ancient utilitarian history, creating a link that gives the vessel form deep resonance.

In America, from their genesis in local crafts shows in the '60s, lathe-turned wood objects caught the attention of galleries and collectors around the world. Over the past 15 years in particular, formative exhibitions and significant collections have contributed to the growing recognition of the art form, and educational programs in art schools in Australia, Japan, Europe and the United States have promoted interest among emerging artists.

A full-color catalog, with critical and historical essays by authors Edward Cooke, professor of art history at Yale University; John Perreault, Executive Director of UrbanGlass and former senior curator of the American Craft Museum; and independent curator Matthew Kangas,

Expressions in Wood: Masterworks from the Wornick Collection has been made possible with support from Texas State Bank, Dorothy and George Saxe, Oakland Museum of California Foundation, Wornick Family Foundation, and a national group of patrons dedicated to the encouragement of the art of turned and shaped wood.

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