Mike's Bowls

I was asked to turn a 30-year-old piece of Lignum Vitae, the hardest wood in the world! I don't think I would have agreed to it if I knew what I was getting myself into. The very hard and oily wood only produces smelly, sticky dust as you turn it and it requires you sharpen your tools every five minutes. After five hours of turning and two showers later the bowl blank was ready to have a plug epoxied into the cracked center. Now that the epoxy is cured I will proceed to shape and thin the bowl more.

More recent turnings. Most for my new client, Shafer Vineyards.

I guess I should post more content here! Here are four recent turnings. They are all quite different, but I like each one!

Here is the second bowl in the Artistry in Wood exhibit open now through January. https://www.sonomawoodworkers.com/AiW_j_composite

This bowl is one of two bowls I have in the Artistry in Wood exhibit at the Sonoma Country Museum. https://www.sonomawoodworkers.com/AiW_j_composite

Today we celebrate the 133rd birthday of Yosemite. On October 1, 1890, Yosemite was designated as the third national park in the United States. Though we mark time as the distance between events- in this case, Yosemite's conception as a national park, to the present day, what if we thought about time as the cumulation of moments between people and place?

Let's conceptualize each moment of joy a visitor has experienced as a single blade of deergrass, a native meadow species. This moment could be anything from observing a black bear for the first time, to seeing the Chinese Laundry exhibit and learning that someone who looks like you was instrumental in the foundation of this park. Each of these moments, blades of grass, unite to form something bigger; a meadow, be it Ahwahnee or Cook’s, Ackerson or Tuolumne. The whole of our shared experiences is infinitely greater than the sum of these individual moments.

Of course, Yosemite’s story goes back much further than 133 years ago. Ahwahnee, the original name for what we call Yosemite today, was taken care of by Ahwahneechee, people of the Valley, who have been present here for nearly 4,000 years. The national park that we celebrate today was not created without harming Native individuals, communities, and practices. The Seven Associated Tribes of Yosemite: Bishop Paiute Tribe, Bridgeport Indian Colony, Mono Lake Kootzaduka’a Tribe, North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California, Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, and Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, maintain relationships with this land and we recognize them as the original, current, and future stewards and guardians of Yosemite.

There are so many stories to be shared and celebrated. Many untold stories to seek out and listen to. And so many stories are yet to be written. What is your Yosemite story?

Photo by J Hallett.

Concepts inspired by Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Good time of year!

We played hooky from out art projects today and drove over to Bodega Bay on funky Coleman Valley Road with the top down. It was bright and sunny at the coast with no fog or clouds in sight and about 66 degrees with a light breeze. I call that a perfect day at the coast!

Sphere and eggs! The eggs are the newest turnings. I will be working on some more spheres soon!

These three bowls have been accepted in the highly acclaimed "Artistry in Wood" exhibit at the Museums of Sonoma County. https://museumsc.org/2019-artistry-in-wood/

The bowls are on my newly updated website: www.mikesooley.com and are L to R: Maple 25; Walnut 36; and Walnut 38. They are on display through January.