American Woodturner’s June issue tells the story of the work that Dennis has done for two years developing classes for the Bemis School of Art at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.
There were quite a few hurdles to getting the classroom ready. Bemis does not have a good ventilation system in the classroom, so in order for five people and one instructor to finish bowls, Dennis chose to use an oil finish that allows sanding with the oil to create a slurry instead of dust.
It was also a challenge for the club to select the turning tools. With limited resources, there was quite a bit of controversy as personal preferences were often mistaken for facts.
The club is now developing more classes, in addition to the basic functional bowls class.