DRILL PRESS BY DAVID J. GINGERY FULL

One of the first things that cried out to me was the fact that I had chosen an old decrepit, worm eaten, spalted, rotten piece of burl which needed a reinforced foundation if it were to survive the vessel turning and hollowing process. Empirical woodworking is what I call it, figuring things out as you go. My personal creative process always begins with a drawing and the drawing always depends upon the limitations of the perimeters of a particular piece of wood so the wood and the drawing are interconnected from the start.ДЄs I work I modify the drawing to match the wood and I also modify the wood to match the drawing. Most of the ancient vessels were made from clay (ceramics) and I enjoy reinterpreting them in wood. I like to choose forms that I have seen in ancient cultures because they have been proven over time to be of value. This gnarly piece of Buckeye Burl has inspired me with many ideas and the design I landed on is somewhat of a classical form. Well itвЂ™s good to be old and wise and to have paid the necessary dues to be in a position to be able to give oneself the gift of time to pursue what you are deeply passionate about. ItвЂ™s also important to be aware of reality and we need to work at jobs we sometimes donвЂ™t like in order to pay the bills. Being a woodworker is also synonymous with not making much money.ДЇortunately for me I forged ahead and life worked out, but now that I am 2 years south of 70, I wonder what would have happened if I shrank myself into the confines of what I thought Society wanted me to become? I donвЂ™t know what the answer is but I believe that if we deny our selves that which we are passionate about that we just might shrivel up and slowly die on the inside.

DRILL PRESS BY DAVID J. GINGERY FULL

Why would I need to give myself permission to become a full time woodworker? Well there is always pressure from parents and Society to become a вЂњsuccessвЂќ in life and here in America, becoming successful is synonymous with вЂњmoneyвЂќ. This show which I have entered almost every year since it began, gave me a focal point to see if I could pull off another vessel in time for it.ДЄs I began working, I reflected on my entire career as a woodworker and realized the greatest gift I had ever given myself in life was the вЂњPermissionвЂќ to follow my passion at the early age of 21 to become a full time woodworker.

The Artistry in Wood Show which is held every year at the Sonoma County Museum in Santa Rosa, announced November 14th as their deadline for entries.

The gift was to give myself the time I needed to create a vessel from this gnarly piece of Buckeye Burl that I had purchased well over a decade and a half ago but I hadnвЂ™t had the time to create anything from it. My 68th birthday was October 25th and I decided to give myself a gift.

Drill press by david j. gingery