OREANDA-NEWS. Guests flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor to attend the 38th Annual American Association of Woodturners (AAW) International Symposium will be in for a treat: the Phoenix Airport Museum currently has on display an exhibition showcasing the woodturning masterpieces by 18 Arizona artists.

The display, “Wood: Turning to Art,” will be exhibited through Nov. 9 in Terminal 3, levels 1 and 2, and will coincide with the AAW symposium taking place at the Phoenix Convention Center June 12 - 15.

Jason Clark, president of the Arizona chapter of the AAW, said the pieces in the airport exhibition vary greatly in both shapes and types of wood.

“Some pieces are comprised of multiple species of exotic woods like wenge, ebony and holly, while others are made out of a single piece of wood salvaged from a firewood pile here in Phoenix,” he said. “They represent a wide variety of skills and points of view from the artists involved.”

The AAW symposium is the largest international gathering of woodturners and will feature approximately 140 workshops, exhibitions, auctions and presentations for both artisans and the public.

Woodturning is a method of shaping wood using stationary tools and a spinning lathe. Artists play upon the vast variety of wood qualities to create one-of-a-kind works of art. They use reclaimed wood, native species and imported exotics and employ techniques such as joinery, inlay and hand-carving and often incorporate surface treatments such as embellishments, high-gloss finishes and richly colored pigments.