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Ruby Cler

Woodturner Ontario Canada

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2017 in Review

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Ruby Cler

2017 has been an interesting year.

I flew to England and visited with Mike Bain, a member of the Society of Ornamental turners.  Mike gave me a grand tour of his shop and Windsor castle.  He even introduced me to Jack Cox, a well known British turner, who wrote the book “Beyond Basic Turning”.  We had a lovely visit.

I then flew to France and took another class  with Jean Claude Charpignon at the Ecole Escoulen, in Aiguines. With his help, I improved my techniques for making Chinese Balls and made one 100 mm in diameter, with 13 spheres inside.   At the end of the week, I traveled with him to his home, where I had a marvelous time.  With he and his wife Francoise, we travelled to the Grand Palace in Paris, where we saw a multitude of wonderful exhibits including those of Alain Mailland and Pascal Oudet.  The size of the building and the layout for the artists was amazing.  On another occasion we spent a day in Paris and visited a host of places such as the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame cathedral, the Museum d’Orsay, and the Louvre.  We travelled to the city by train and then around it by boat-bus.  It was over whelming!!  Returning to his home, we worked a bit with his ornamental lathes and I learned several new things.  During that time, a number of his friends came and I taught a three day class in air brushing.  They were a really nice group of folks.

When I left France, I flew back to England and spent a week with Stuart Mortimer in his home.  It is in a quaint English village where the majority of roofs (including his) were thatched.  He and his wife Linda are lovely folks.  We attended a club meeting where Joe, one of Stuart’s students, did a turning presentation.  It was very well done.  I was very interested in their youth program and how well it is working.  Stuart introduced me to how he casts parts in silver/pewter.  He is amazing.  Near the end of the week, I met their son Andrew and their grand-children.  The young lads were like a breathe of fresh air and left me with hope for the future generations.  Andrew is himself a very, very talented visual artist.  His portraits are exceptional!  If you get a chance, do google him and see for yourself.  Before I left, Stuart and I got a chance to go hit some golf balls.  Despite his cross handed grip, he hits amazing long and straight shots.  I wish there had been time to play a round at one of the local courses.

My flight from England to Holland was a bit rough and I missed the connecting flight home.  KLM very kindly put me up in a first class hotel in Amsterdam.  I took advantage of the time and hired a cab to show me the main features.  It is a place I may have to re-visit.

On returning home, I found that the construction of the new sewers and water lines on our street was still on-going.  I will be glad when it is all done and I can clean my house properly.  Several turning jobs awaited my return – mostly for the new Gordie Howie bridge being built.  For the engineers, I have been making pigs for cleaning the conduits and other things.  They have definitely been a challenge to my skills.  I have also had a number of classes both at home and at the Lee Valley store to teach.  I hope to get back to some of my own creations in the near future.

The year has not ended, but I am sure it will be busy and packed with new experiences.  I will keep you posted.

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