If you have been following last year’s blog (April 4, 2012) my parting statement was about my completed work: “If my wife doesn’t abscond with it you will see it at one of my shows.” And that is how this story all began.

2013 Master’s Award for Fruit

Last fall I completed a two bowl set; 10” and 8”diameter dyed oak bowls. Barb promptly took the larger bowl, put it on the kitchen counter and declared that this was her new fruit bowl. Well I guess she does have spousal rights so my loss, her gain. The quest began looking for suitable replica fruit for the bowl with little success. Barb’s solution was for me to go down to the shop and make some fruit. I just happened to have a nice piece of spalted silver birch in my work shop…….. Who am I kidding……..? I have lots of weird pieces of wood in my shop, so I did manage to turn two apples and a pear. I was taken back on how elegant they looked and turned grapes, cherries and a variety of plums. Most of the wood is local but a few are exotic wood and nuts. Barb was quite pleased and we now have a bowl full of wooden fruit sitting in our kitchen which has become a conversational piece of artwork.

If you have read my bio you will note that I am an active member of the Kawartha Woodturning Guild. Each year I challenge myself to turn a piece of work for the Year End Woodturning Competition. As a Master Turner I am restricted to having only one submission and turning fruit would be considered spindle turning therefore putting them in a wooden bowl would not be allowed. I settled for a nicely sculpted glass shallow bowl. So I began selecting wood for my fruit bowl and as a result my submission consists of silver maple, spalted birch, hickory, butternut, hard maple, walnut, pine, padauk, purple heart and banksia nut. I used aniline pigment for one of the apples, cherries and red and green grapes. Tung oil was used on the remainder of the fruit to bring out the grain. On June 6th I was awarded first prize in the Master Turner’s submission. As for the fruit bowl, it can be viewed or purchased at My Favorite Things in Bobcaygeon.

So what can I say, Barb’s absconding with yet another one of my turned pieces stimulated my creative juices and challenged me (successfully) to try new things. Thanks Barb.

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Morris will be sitting in the gallery next on July 4th.