Cindy Drozda Demonstration and Workshop

CINDY DROZDA DEMONSTRATION AND WORKSHOP

Dan Michener

The Chinook Woodturning Guild was lucky to have Cindy Drozda attend our workshop at CASA in Lethbridge on May 23-25, 2015. Cindy is a professional woodturner and is among the most accomplished and innovative woodturning artists working today. Check out her website at www.cindydrozda.com for examples of her art and much more.

Twenty-eight woodturners showed up for the demonstration. Cindy introduced herself and her art with a slide show portraying the Colorado setting of her workshop, examples of her artwork and a tribute to partner, artist and woodturner David Nittmann, now deceased.

The first woodturning demonstration was of Cindy’s signature finial box. This included a discussion of form and proportion, supported by examples shown on a large screen. Discussion of types of tool steel and grinding wheels, along with a bit on tool sharpening worked in seamlessly as the finial box took shape. As lunchtime rolled around the completed finial box emerged, tiny and perfect. Great Timing!

The afternoon demo was a burl bowl. Starting with a very cool description of burl anatomy, Cindy produced a small, beautifully figured asymmetric bowl, which she then stained and turned again, removing the surface but leaving the stain in the burl end grain where it penetrates, to achieve a magical effect.

At the end of the day the box and bowl, which Cindy had made, were auctioned off. Dennis Delaney agreed, after a bit of pressure and threatening, to be the auctioneer. He did a fine and entertaining job of it and both pieces sold for handsome prices. Thank you to the bidders and buyers.

The following two days of Cindy Drozda’s visit were small hands-on workshops. Each day the seven or eight participants worked on their own finial boxes. In theory these were to be similar to the one Cindy had demonstrated the previous day, and for the most part, they were!

The workshop was organized into short sessions when Cindy would demonstrate a step in the project, after which we would go to our lathes and try to duplicate what we had seen. While we were at the lathes Cindy, in an impressive display of energy, enthusiasm and efficiency, never stopped moving from station to station to see what we were doing and to lend advice and encouragement. Participants in the class varied in their woodturning experience from none to 30 years, however, Cindy gave fair time to each one according to their needs. Everybody finished the project! A testament to great mentorship.

It is a great thing for a Guild as small as ours to get an artist and turner of the caliber of Cindy Drozda here in our workshop for three days teaching and demonstrating. Cindy never tired of answering questions, never brushed aside a query, never talked down to the less experienced. She said woodturners are a sharing bunch, and she is happy to share her knowledge and experience. Every participant takes away things they can apply in their own workshop.

We attracted woodturners from Saskatchewan, Montana and other parts of Alberta to our Guild because Cindy Drozda was here. We appreciate that they went to the trouble and expense to come to Lethbridge and we hope they will come again and we can visit their clubs in the future.

Cindy spent the last evening with my wife and me. Not teaching, she could relax with Alberta beer and a bit of Australian wine and chat about cats, food and daily life. The following day as I drove her to the Calgary airport she talked about woodturning, not about technique and craftsmanship, but about woodturners as a community. Especially about how much woodturners depend on each other to share their craft so that they can all grow. Finally, she told me if I want to really pursue turning, I better start going to symposiums and meet the community.

Hmm, maybe I will.

Cindy Drozda demonstration class

The hands-on workshop, day two.

Lunch break on day two.

End of the day of the Sunday workshop class. Everyone made tiny finial boxes.

Left to right: Andre´Laroche, Jim Jones, David Stratton, Gord Rock, Cindy Drozda, Dan Michener,Dave Webster, Roger McMullin, Paul Omilon.

Conclusion of the Monday workshop. Left to right: Vern Miller, Remie Benoit, Richard Shelson,Cindy Drozda, Roger Wayman, John VandenBerg, Rino Cattapan, Dan Johnson.