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Madison Craft Show
Woodturner Andrew found solace in woodturning after an illness
His hobby has grown to include many items in wood
By Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
(November 2015) – The art of woodturning is no mystery to Cliff Andrew. After suffering a heart attack several years ago, he turned to woodturning for a calming hobby.
“I started with pens,” said the Madison, Ind., resident. He has branched out into crafting unique bowls, wine bottle stoppers, rolling pins and small birdhouses. In time, he was eventually able to move to a larger lathe and complete more projects.
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Photo by Patti Watson
Cliff Andrew turned to woodturning after suffering a heart attack several years ago. |
Andrew is a retired trauma nurse, embalmer and funeral home director. His wife, Jan, is as talented as her husband. She crafts quilts, towels, table runners and seasonal decor. “She sews a lot,” said Andrew, while still working full-time.
The talented pair will take part in this year’s Madison Craft Show, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. It is being held for the third consecutive year at the Madison National Guard Armory, 1533 Clifty Dr. in Madison.
Andrew is self-taught, wanting to learn woodturning more for the experience than to make money. He gleaned a lot of information from watching U-Tube videos.
Andrew gets so much enjoyment from woodturning that he has joined the Southwest Indiana Turners Club. His bowls come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, he said. Prices range from $15 to $110, depending upon how intricate they are.
Sometimes he will add veneer or crushed stone inlays to his bowls.
“I use all different types of wood. I like to use wood with character to it,” he said. Ambrosia maple is a good choice because it is decorative, “not just plain wood.”
The origin of woodturning dates to around 1300 B.C. when Egyptians first developed the two-person lathe. One person turned the wood with a rope while the other used sharp tools to cut shapes into the wood.
A huge improvement was made to the process during the Industrial Revolution when the lathe was motorized. This cut down on the time needed to create items and at the same time meant a high quality product could be quickly produced.
Woodturning has commonly been used in the past to create furniture parts but also turned architectural elements. These were most noticeable during the Victorian period in finials, balusters and newels.
While turning brings out the natural beauty of the woods used, artistic design is the result of a creative turner like Andrew. “It’s a hobby for me,” Andrew modestly said. But the end result shows how much care he puts into each piece he turns.
The Madison Craft Show is organized each year by a group of local crafters.
“We will have a lot of artists from the Kentuckiana area,” said organizer Wanda Shelley. This show used to be known as the Hanover Craft Show and was held on the Hanover College campus until the building it was held in was needed for student housing.
When they realized they couldn’t put it on anymore, the organizers at the college turned their vendor list over to a group of local crafters who wanted to see the event continue. This group included Shelley and Janet Lamb of Kent, Ind. Both participated in the show when the event was held at Hanover College. The women enlisted the help of friends in the Lick Branch Baptist Church Women’s Group in Deputy, Ind., and arranged for the show to be held at the Madison National Guard Armory.
Shelley Lamb said the sponsoring organization is now the Encore Show Choir at Madison Consolidated High School. Student volunteers have slowly been transitioning into this position, using it as an annual fundraiser.
Attendees seem to like the fact that it is “very organized. There is plenty of walking space. We try to have different vendors and require them to sell hand-crafted products,” Shelley Lamb said.
While vendors are not judged, the event does offer a variety of quality art and baked goods, such as jewelry, primitives and baskets, just to name a few. There is no admission charge and concessions will be available.
Andrew said this will be he and his wife’s first time to participate in the show. “We’ve done others in the past, but not this one,” until now.
• For more information, contact Wanda Shelley at (812) 273-3756. Back to November 2015 Articles. |
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