One of the very first collectible items I bought in Hawaii was a lidded box made by an anonymous island artisan. Four decades later it’s still holding a few pieces of jewelry but is now the beginning footnote to my ever growing collection of wood art – the majority of which are vessels that were fashioned right here in the islands.

Let me digress to add that my fascination with turned bowls really stems from meeting Bob Stocksdale (and his equally talented fiber artist wife – Kay Sekimachi) at their Berkeley studio/home in the mid70’s. To watch Bob turning was an eye-opening experience culminating in my purchasing two memorable pieces. As years passed and our friendship deepened, I added several more of his exquisite bowls to an ever-expanding collection. At last count I owned nearly a century mark total created by a dozen turners.

Bob, who died in 2003, was called the “Grandfather of the contemporary American wood bowl.” His dedication to and his expertise in that art were demonstrated time and again via bowls whose beauty quite simply took your breathe away. Awe-inspiring with unexpected bone-China thinness, you automatically marveled at his naturally edged rims. His stunning discovery and then exposure of both grain and coloration continually fascinate even the most jaded collectors while the seemingly infinite variety in types of wood used and his varied signature styles were nothing short of amazing. Bob pioneered much of what today’s wood turners take for granted. He also freely shared those newly discovered techniques with anyone and everyone and for his generosity and artistry was awarded the American Crafts Council Gold Medal for Craftsmanship in 1995. It would do many island wood turners good to study the enormous effect this gentle man had on their shared craft and to learn a thing or two about that art from a true master!

But indeed many of the finest bowl makers in our islands have taken more than a page or two from the Stocksdale lesson book. One I can easily point to is Renée Fukumoto Ben whose fascination with turning came in a round-about way after having created work in a variety of crafts & the arts. It was through her wood-worker husband, Gerald, she came to bowl turning, but serendipity too played its part when they chanced to meet Bob and Kay who were spending a winter holiday in Puako. Bob offered to spend an afternoon at the Ben woodshop giving Renée hands-on pointers – lessons in technique that became a regular part of those January visits to Hawaii for several years. Bob even gifted Renée with one of his specially produced signature gouges – a long-shanked beauty with two-toned ebony handle. She began turning out product with a ferocious speed and her output was both impressive and most desirable. Unfortunately dust from the finishing process proved toxic to her health. She even resorted to turning whilst completely encased in a space-age style protective suit replete with an outside air source! Still, despite such valiant attempts to mitigate the dust/health problem, she was forced to end her feverish production after far too short a time. She is an amazing talent whose bowls are amongst some of the best I’ve found here in Hawaii.

Gerald Ben likewise is well-known for his turning artistry. The first pieces I saw (and collected) by this accomplished woodworker were a combination of ceramic vessels with crenellated rims to which were fitted amazing turned tops. Their existence was the happy result of Gerald having his head in two camps simultaneously. He even had a ceramic studio set up at his home so he could flit from one medium to the other! The resulting pieces from that melding were both inspiring and very collectible. He was invited to show a collection of these special combined pieces in Tokyo at a Ginza Gallery where the show was almost completely sold out. This was an amazing response to a first time exhibition by a foreigner in a nation known for its ceramic history. Gerald went onto produce a number of wooden bowls at the same time as his wife was working and indeed they collaborated on several – co-signing them on the foot. He continues to turn and you can often find his output in the best galleries not to mention their own: Dovetail Gallery above Kailua-Kona in Holualoa.

Several bowl makers seem to confuse size with artistic importance and value. We’ve more than a few of that ilk still plying that route of size over meaning resulting in bowls that for the most are totally heartless. Finishes too are often less than stellar in many cases and overall the resulting bowl becomes both a waste of wood and time. Still there are several more that I’m happy to point out.

Barry Ching is a turning talent of the highest caliber and yet he has not participated in the local turners yearly showcase exhibit for the last several years. But if you look about you can still find examples of his finely honed skill in a few island galleries. A number were still available last fall when I toured gallery venues on Oahu. Several greatly appealed to my collector instincts as Barry is truly ingenious and his experimental side often triumphs with results that boggle the mind. I ruefully recall selling (NOT collecting for myself) one lovely globular form that appeared set with seventy plus types of wood. In fact he had made those oh-so-small elements of all the wood varieties growing in Hawaii. Mixing them in a crazed pattern supported by a resin backing, he created a masterful work that still pulls at my collector’s heart years later. Barry tends to do totally marvelous large works in wood varieties that too many people overlook in favor of Koa. Not to say his Koa pieces aren’t of the best quality but I feel strongly that it is his unique turnings with figured Mango and his paper-thin Norfolk pine vessels that really speak volumes about his level of craftsmanship.

On Oahu I believe there is no turner comparable to the skill and masterful design of Michael Lee. I chanced on his work in a co-operative gallery in Ward Warehouse where the artists not only fill the space with their work but each sits a share of the hours to keep it open. Showing was a strong variety ranging from silver crafted jewelry to hot glass through the expected two-dimensional, but done exceptionally well. Still the pieces that drew my immediate attention were the koa turnings by this gifted young man. I have since seen a number of his more involved works that incorporate carved figurative imagery over all visible surfaces. But these initial pieces were specially chosen pieces of fine curly koa where signature stippling delicately embellished a portion of each piece. I bought two because I couldn’t decide between them and wish now I had selected an additional one or two more. Michael has been honored many times by both his peers in the craft and by curators who have included his unique wood artistry into special collections and exhibitions in several countries.

Turning (no pun intended) my collection top-for-bottom I note there are many names I have not covered in the few paragraphs above. Some of them are no longer amongst the living but there is just so much space if I want to show you examples of which I’ve written, so….. Take a good look at the next wood turning display you’re passing by. It just might have a gem or two that shouldn’t be left lonely and unsold in that shop.