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September Issue 2006
Spartanburg Artists' Guild in Spartanburg, SC, Offers Works by David Datwyler
The Spartanburg Artists' Guild in Spartanburg, SC, will present the exhibit, Beyond the Bowl: Woodturnings by David Datwyler, on view from Sept. 2 - 29, 2006, in the Guild Gallery. The exhibit will explain the process of creating the works, including a display of different woods used, in addition to showcasing finished pieces.
Datwyler, whose Saturn Moons: Titan's View received a merit award in the 2006 Spartanburg Artists' Guild Juried Exhibition, has been "turning" wood into decorative objects of art for the last three years. His work is featured in galleries throughout the Southeast, and he has been a featured artist in numerous shows and exhibitions.
Unlike functional woodturning that produces objects such as bowls and platters, Datwyler says that his work is purely an art form intended to highlight the beauty of the wood and examine the limits of the craft.
"With each piece I turn I aim to push the limits of my ability and vision while also reaching the limit of the wood," says the artist, also a member of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild.
"Wood is a liquid medium. Natural bark inclusions, the direction of the grain and knots, rot, fungi, cracks, and insect damage are all factors in the final form of a piece. Even when completed, the shape and the texture of the wood continue to change as the piece dries," says Datwyler.
The vessels Datwyler creates often have such thin walls that they are luminescent beneath bright lights, and 25-pound stumps become hollowed-out forms that weigh only ounces. His inspiration comes from the world around him: a shell on the beach, patterns in the sand, a utilitarian household item, an architectural form or the shape of a forearm. Datwyler's work also reflects that of artists in other mediums such as glass, pottery and basketry.
Though Datwyler is passionate about his art, he says his "real job" is working as a nurse anesthetist at Spartanburg's Mary Black Hospital. "I am very fortunate to have both a profession and a pastime that I am passionate about," Datwyler said.
For further information
check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, contact Gibson Smith,
864/486-8994 or at (www.sparklenet.com/artistsguild/index.htm).
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