Friday, June 19

Back to the workshop again at 8 am. I started a different kind of piece. It still involved a 65 mm sphere, and would provide  practice turning spikes out from the center. Someday I'ld like to turn a Chinese ball with spikes emminating from the center, through the seven layers of spheres. Unfortunately, there was only one set of the special tools needed for that project, and it never freed up at the right time. So this project consisted of 16 spikes emminating from the center, but all in a row around the circumference. Then half the ball would be turned away. There was still a piece of boxwood with a defect on one side,so perfect for this project. It was indeed tricky turning those spikes, but it turned (pun intended) out alright.
Besides the five of us in this class, there is also another workshop and another class of six students going on. That instructor has a personal workshop here in the village and a gallery/shop. So we went to see that. It was in one of the old building in the village, 18th century or maybe 17th? So the inside was heavily adapted. The workshop was on the ground floor on various levels, and a damp old cellar where he stored wood. The gallery-shop was up a narrow flight of stairs, floors and a walkway had been added making quite a quaint gallery. He, of course, had very nice items.
Back at the school, there was only about an hour before it would be time to end and cleanup. But I still found a small branch of boxwood to turn a tall pedestal for my Chinese ball. I did that, helped with cleanup, took a nap, and am writing this blog. It's 7:30, and we'll be heading to a restaurant in the village for a final banquet together.
Love to all. Dave