Hi Jim,
There is definitely a snob factor going on at the AAW. It has been hard to get any recognition of penturning as woodturning there. But we are making advances.
I did get my one big article in the American Woodturner (the AAW Journal) on penturning, and Angelo also got his article in there. Angelo is an awesome penturner, and is one of the AAW directors! If good articles on penturning come to the American Woodturner, they will publish them. The AAW Board recognizes penturning as an important part of woodturning. They even agreed to allow this group, Penturners.org (or the IAP) to become their first "virtual" chapter of the AAW! So while there is still some resistance to pens being thought of on the same level as bowls or hollowforms, at least the officials of the organization are willing to try to bring penturners into the fold!
The pen display put together for the Provo Symposium has been to the AAW Symposium for the two years previous to this, and was in the instant gallery. Emory McLaughlin was one of the demonstrators at the AAW last year turning pens. Kip Christensen, author of one of the best books on penturning, is one of the regional editors of the AAW Journal, and one of the finest turners in North America! We have been making some headway in advancing the art of penturning within the AAW!
And if money is the criteria, I would think that only at the highest end does artistic bowlturning exceed the money that can be made by penturninrs. I can sell pens from $35 to $150, and in the time it takes one of the "Masters" to produce one of their best pieces, I could turn ten or twenty, maybe even fifty pens. It would take a pretty special piece to exceed the money received by selling that many pens!
But fortunately, money isn't the only criteria. Artistic ability is also in there. But spend even a few minutes in our picture gallery, and tell me that we don't have artistic ability! I think we've all seen pens that artistically rival any of the finer works by the recognized names in woodturing.
So why does the AAW look down on penturning? Maybe it's not exclusive enough. You don't need a big fancy lathe to turn pens, or the best of tools. The materials are definitely less expensive. I don't know! But I do think that if most woodturners were honest about turning, they would incorporate pens into their turning retinue!
OK, so I'm preaching to the chior here! [
] But those of us who are AAW members should strive to keep putting pens in front of the AAW membership, both through articles in the magazine, and at the Symposium. I encourage you to go to the AAW Symposium, and enter pens in the instant gallery. Request demonstrations on penturning, or better yet, offer to be a demonstrator on penturning! And write those articles for the American Woodturner - I'll introduce you to the Editor!
Just my humble opinon (Yeah right! Humble!) [
]
Scott.
