James McClure lives in Gulf Breeze, Florida and has been turning since 2001. He makes decorative and functional items, including sculptures, bowls, hollow vessels, and boxes. His sculptures are comprised of multiple elements that are textured and colored and represent concepts and ideas around a theme. Some themes are whimsical and cartoonish while others are serious and abstract. His work has been juried into several regional and national exhibitions and he has participated in art show and craft shows and festivals throughout the southeast. He has taught classes and demonstrated for numerous AAW chapters, at regional turning symposiums, and at multiple AAW Symposiums.
Demo Descriptions
All of James’ Demonstrations will be in room “I”
ROTATION 2:
Back to Basics with Bowl Turning
Let’s get back to basics in this rotation where I demonstrate how I turn a flat rimmed, half log salad bowl. I will discuss wood selection and preparation, tool selection, and demonstrate the steps and techniques that I use to turn a salad bowl. I will demonstrate sharpening the bowl gouge and show the cutting techniques that make efficient and clean cuts that require less sanding.
ROTATION 5 :
The Elegant Natural Edge Bowl
I will demonstrate how I turn a natural edge bowl with the proportions and natural edge shape that make it look elegant. I will discuss the origin of this series and show how selection and preparation of the blank is critical to achieve the look of natural edge and grain balance of the piece. I will demonstrate cutting techniques with the bowl gouge and other tools to make efficient and clean cuts that require less sanding.
ROTATION 7
The Hawaiian Calabash Inspired Bowl
The traditional bowls made by craftspeople in the Pacific Islands had a timeless beauty that is considered as beautiful today as when they were made. The fact that they were made using what would be considered crude tools by today’s standards is even more inspirational. I will demonstrate how I make bowls that are inspired from this simple and beautiful form. I will discuss how I change steps and strategies from making a salad bowl to achieve a fully rounded bottom, consistently thin wall thickness on a shape that closes in on itself.
ROTATION 10
The Spherical Box I will demonstrate how I turn the spherical box using a simple and quick to make template. I will cover the basics of making boxes on the lathe since the joint that I use on the spherical box is the same as slip fit joint used on regular boxes. I will show how to make the cup chucks that I use to hold the box for final shaping and sanding and I will show several options for bases to prevent them from rolling away.
