Stuart Mortimer returned to Colorado in September with woodturning demonstrations and classes in Colorado Springs, Denver, and Ft. Collins, and five sessions for the Rocky Mountain Woodturners Symposium. Stuart’s visit coincided with a renewal of interest in spindle turning, as well as end-grain forms such as traditional boxes and hollow forms.
In the photo, he is turning a lid to fit to a box base. The wood is American osage orange, one of Stuart’s favorite woods.
Stuart is best-known for his innovative ways to achieve the precision of traditional twisted spindles and twisted hollow forms, open-twist finials, and specialty twists such as the pig-tail and lace edge. He is an expert carver on turnings as well, and he teaches quick and effective techniques for hollowing turnings for carved detail. To see current work from the Mortimer woodshop, visit www.stuartmortimer.com.
Stuart made a variety of turnings while he was in Colorado. Some of the demonstration pieces were auctioned at the Symposium.
The Pikes Peak Woodturners will auction several more at meetings in October or November. Ths auction will include two finished pieces–a goblet with a twisted stem, and the box from the demonstration in Manitou Springs. For more information about the PPW auction, call Dennis 719-481-8754
