A Friendly Competition !

Our Second Virtual Contest!

We had 22 projects entered in this our second virtual contest.  The votes were received anonymously through a survey and announced during our Virtual Holiday Party on Saturday, December 12th.  The top five vote getters are moved into order below.  All other projects are in the same order as they were received, with additional photos added if received from the artist.
    Thank you for participating, whether it was by creating an entry or voting!  We look forward to seeing your entries in the Valentine's Day Contest!

People's Choice

Advent Walk – Joseph and Mary walk along the path through the rolling hills leading to Bethlehem one day at a time in December.  On December 24th, the time has come, they have reached their destination under the star.  The standing figure can now be exchanged with the sitting figure of the Holy Family with the Child Jesus on the feast day.  Artist is Barbara Raymond-LaPrease.  Design from the German scrolling magazine, Feinschnitt kreativ, issue 21, winter 2019.

Comments from voters included:  Awesome!     Wow!!    /   Favorite scroll sawed entry   /   Really love this design.   /   That is really neat, I don't think I've ever seen 3D calendar where a piece advances each day. I like the shooting star and that the characters change up.   /   This is absolutely beautiful!   /   This is a really cool idea.   /   Very unique, complete and lovely.

Second Place 

Mr. NC   This Nutcracker is 16 inches tall and made from maple and cherry wood.  The paint used is acrylic and the hair and chin whiskers are a synthetic material.  I started by turning the base, did a split turning for the shoes, drilled & painted them, and put them on the base using 1/4” dowels.  Next came the legs.  These and all other parts were turned in order from the bottom up and using the same attachment process.  All pieces had to be remounted on the lathe to do a second and third color after the first color was applied and dried.  The head was the most difficult piece to do because of all of the hand painting.  Mel noted that Mr. NC does not crack nuts.  When he makes more, he may create the jigs needed to create the cracker mechanism.
This was a fun project to do and I plan on doing more of them. Thanks to my wife, Sue, for all of her tolerance and encouragement while doing this fun project.  Artist is Mel Taber.  
Note:  Mel was asked what paints he used during the Virtual party.  He used the 48 Piece Acrylic Paint Tube Set by Artist's Loft™ available at Michaels.

Comments from voters included:  I love him. it reminds me of the one my gramma had.  This is beautiful, excellent   /  Impressive soldier! If only sharp pointy mustaches  would come back in style.   /   Love this ,well done #18   /  Very nice

Tied for Third Place 

Kissmas Tree   A table ornament twinkly with tasty tinsel greets visitors to your home.  With presents of foil-wrapped chocolates trimming each bough, this decoration will make everybody want to be at your home for the holidays.  What’s better?  The hardwood sticks are stacked on a central rod after being cut to shape and the tree folds flat for convenient storage!  Artist is Bill Shea.
The instructions to make this tree are in Woodcraft Magazine, Issue 98, Dec/Jan 2021.

Comments from voters included:   Great idea! A pretty alternative to a conventional holiday candy dish and easy storage.  Beautiful.   /    I want to make one of these!!!  I love it!   /  That is really cool, and useful! Chocolate chocolate chocolate....

Tied for Third Place 

The Grinch and Max – Grinch and Max take the place of Santa and his reindeer to deliver gifts.  The Grinch is an 11” maple turning painted and given the appropriate hairdo.  Artist is Charlie LaPrease.

Comments from voters included:   I've heard that characters like this often reflect a bit of their maker, now who in the club has such stylish hair, hmmm. Cute mask!   /   So many wonderful items to choose from but this one made me laugh.  I really enjoyed a good chuckle and the mask was a nice twist.   /   Very creative! Great talent!  Nice job!

Fourth Third Place 

I've Got My Tree!   Santa is coming back from chopping down his tree in this hand carved figure of basswood.  The detailed 8" tall carving is highlighted by the acrylics used for paint.  The artist, Elaine Negrotto, spent 1½  months carving this piece while her husband, Ralph, was recuperating in the hospital.
Since completing this piece, Elaine's received orders for at least two more.  At least one will be painted to look like Paul Smith, one of the reasons for Paul Smith's College as he seems to be a spitting image of Paul.  The tree is reminiscent of the leaning tree, the historic symbol for the College.

Comments from voters included:  Absolutely love this! Reminds me of being a kid!   /   Favorite carved entry   /   I love the footprint in the snow detail!   /   Very cute

Holiday Candy Dish   A multi-use project that starts with a bowl-in-bowl (the Feb 2020 project).  During the holidays, insert the tree for a holiday-themed project.  At other times, replace the tree with a tea light.  The artist used butternut for the bowl-in-bowl and walnut for the tree.  Both are finished with walnut oil.  Artist is Ray Smith.

Comments from voters included:   I posted this on Facebook, ended up turning 6 with trees and snow men.  Sold 4 and gave one as a gift (my Wife wanted one).  /   Very nice little candy dish and two tone tree, made all the more merry by being filled with candy.

Hollow Ornament  Cherry and walnut hollow ornament from a herringbone blank with maple finial. Artist is Mike Vecellio.  Instructions for creating the blank are in the club's December 2020 Newsletter.

Comments from voters included:   Nice ornament, segmented ball looks great.

Warming Around the Firepit  Santa joins Frosty and Bambi at the tree that surrounds the fire pit for this cute table decoration celebrating the holidays.  The tree measures just 11 inches high.  All the pieces sit on a walnut base.  Bambi's snow mound was carved.  Artist is Larry Prunotto.

Comments from voters included:   Love the little lights on the tree. Nice job with the details.

Menorah  Formed using the split turning technique, this Menorah is made from white limba and walnut.  The brass candleholders show nicely against the limba.  The center star is segmented and highlighted with brass inlay.  Artist is Ed Siegel.

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Comments from voters included:   Excellent work!   /   I like this very much. Looks clean and well done.

Santa Warning  Live edge 1/2" oak showcases Santa with his common warning!   Artist is Robert Ward.

Comments from voters included:   Favorite live edge scroll sawed entry   /   Really nice design   /  So be good for goodness sake!

Happy Holidays from Mr. & Mrs. Snow!  These snow people are 4.5" and 5.5" tall and 2" in diameter.  Turned on the lathe and then carved, they are painted with acrylics. The tree, star, and scarf ends were added afterwards. The Happy Holidays sign was cut with a scrollsaw then attached to a turned base.  All the pieces have a clear matte spray enamel.  Artist is Rick Kiehl.

Comments from voters included:   Super cute!

Santa Gnome   Merry Christmas, meet my Little fellow… My Christmas Gnome.   Santa's turned hat is ash and dyed red and body turned from spalted maple.  His beard and hat are faux fur.  He stands 5.5 inches high and is about 1.5 inches in diameter.  He is cute as a button right down to his lil’ button nose!   Artist is Shelly Kent.

Comments from voters included:   Great  job   /   Very nice gnome and awesome job staging that photo with the ornaments.

Christmas Bulb Candy Dish   Surprise!  Open the maple light bulb to find peppermint candies!  Standing 11 inches high and 5 inches in diameter, the artist used brite red, metallic gold, and black craft paints and 3 coats of gloss aerosol spray lacquer to provide a durable finish!
Plans for this bulb are in Issue 137 of Wood magazine, “A Bright Idea for Turners”.  Artist is Jim Farrell.  Jim noted that the bulb seems to be forever empty even after filling!

Comments from voters included:   Favorite turned entry   /   That has got to be the largest light bulb I've ever seen! Anything filled with candy gets bonus points in my book.

I’ll be Gnome for Christmouse!
This 12 inch tall gnome is made from pine and painted with latex paint. The body is finished with friction polish. The Christmas tree is made from spalted oak and stained with yellow and green dye and finished with gold leaf gilding wax. The mouse is made from an unknown branch finished with Triple-E wax and friction polish. Attached is a red and white twisted leather lacing tail and leather ears that are stained green and painted with gold gilding paint.
PS.  There’s no face like gnome!
Artist is David Grant.​

Comments from voters included:   Cute, cute, cute, and cute! I like the gold wire detail on the hat and especially the mouse's tail.

Pepper My Wall!   Miniature peppermills add spice to this Christmas wall hanging.  Artist is Rod Castle.  

Comments from voters included:   These are great, another way to use up some of those little cutoffs you have stashed.   /   Too bad you didn't add wing and made them peppermill angels.

Snow Band!   Turned snowmen formed a band to bring some snow sounds to you!   Artist is Doug North.

Comments from voters included:   Great idea! Well done.   /   Very cool with the crazy glue up and I especially like the little drums!

Old-Style Santa   Hand carved and painted pine Santa is 6" tall and painted with acrylics and oil metallic gold.  Artist is Tammra Cook.

Comments from voters included:   Very nice! Looks like he still has plenty of energy to deliver presents.

Bountiful Santa   The artist cut this 21" tall by 9" wide Santa from pine and spent 3 months painting a realistic Santa loaded with his bounty of fall vegetables for under the Christmas tree.  Artist is Arlene Schlueter.  Santa is a gift for her younger sister.

Comments from voters included:   Very nice detailing on the vegetables and Santa's sleeves. Looks great!

Lighted Globe/Night Light   A unique light to celebrate the holidays.  Globe is maple, that is hollowed to 1/8” thickness then pierced with 5 snowflakes. air brushed titanium white, and lacquered. Base is walnut with walnut oil.  Overall height is 6.5” and 4” wide. 
Artist is Robert Love.
Robert isn't happy with the lighting and plans to to upgrade it with an LED setup in the center of the globe.

Comments from voters included:   Nice! Does the base rotate?

Gang of 8 Trolls  These trolls are hard at work doing nothing.  Artist used Juniper wood, painted, hand-made clay noses, and faux fur to make the trolls look realistic.  Artist is Jim Yonkers.

Comments from voters included:   Love the ugly nose features. These are great.

Snowman with Little Friends   Large Bobble Snowman is spring mounted and made from one piece of cedar.  Friends surround Bobble and are also made of cedar the painted with acrylics using a special white faux snow paint.  Artist is Jackie Yonkers.

Comments from voters included:   I like the texture detail on the body and that hat looks slick!

Family Tree Additions by the Potter Family - Greg, Heather, & Ian.   A six layer lighted star of  and sixteen (16) new ornaments were carved, turned, wood burned, and assembled for some excellent additions to a family tree for 2020.   The star was a 5 year vision that needed a contest to get it done.  The layers of 1/8" Baltic birch plywood have LED wired lights meticulously placed between each layer.  The 16 new ornaments were created using a variety of woods including bass, cherry, walnut, and FOGwood.  Coloring was added with pencils.
This is an example of a family project.  Heather did the chip carved ornaments using basswood and enhancing as needed with color from oil-based pencils which are the easiest to blend.  She also used thick FOGwood chips with bark were dried then wood burned and color enhanced for some ornaments.  Two mini twisted finials were turned by Ian.  The solid one is honey locust while the cored out twist is walnut.  Greg assisted Ian, turned the mini-finial and made the star.

Comments from voters included:   Merry Christmas!   The star is beautiful!