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2022
Bunbury Workshop
With most covid restrictions removed we will now hold our biennial workshop at Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School from
Thursday September 29th to October 1st, 2022
2021
Dwellingup Collaboration
Having had to cancel our 2020 workshop which was scheduled to take place in Bunbury, we then decided to postpone the event until Easter 2021, but once again efforts were scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic. With luck we will be back at the Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School in 2022.
In the meantime, we are arranging a workshop at the Forest Discovery Centre in Dwellingup. This will be held between the 12th and 15th of October 2021. As with previous workshops held at Dwellingup, there will be no subsidised airfares, so it is basically open to Western Australian residents only. The workshop will be held over four days, with three night's accommodation provided. We will again be doing our own catering; Nancy will be contacting each participant to discuss what will be needed in the way of provisions once our booking procedures are under way.
Hape Kiddle, the well-known sculptor and wood carver from NSW, will be our special guest at this event. Hape will also be available to hold woodcarving master classes, while be is in Western Australia.
2020
Bunbury Collaboration
Our next biennial Bunbury collaboration was due to take place from Tuesday 29th September to Saturday 3rd October 2020, and our invited guest was to be be Joey Richardson, a world renowned artist. But as with so many aspects of life in 2020, COVID-19 has changed everything.
The collaboration is now planned for Easter 2021, but of course right now we cannot be sure that it will be possible to hold it at that time. The change of date has meant that Joey Richardson will not be able to attend; we are trying to find a suitable replacement guest. Members will be informed as information becomes available.
2019
Dwellingup Workshop October 2019
As usual the bi-annual Collaboration WA October workshop was held at the
Forest Discovery Centre in Dwellingup. Our special guest this year was Ken Wraight, who was accompanied by
his lovely wife Helen. Ken is undoubtedly one of the world's finest wood
turners, and we feel very lucky that he was able to join us, and share his
considerable skills with us. Helen also offered her help
in cataloguing the large number of auction items.
2018
2018 Bunbury Collaboration
Another great workshop was held at the Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School. Mike Lee as our main guest for this event was an outstanding success. His contribution to the collaboration workshop was outstanding, as were the master classes and demonstrations. It was a shame that Joey Richardson couldn't join us, but hopefully she will be able to attend one of our events in the future.
Pictures of the
workshop items and participants and exhibition pieces are available on this site.
2017
Dwellingup Workshop October 2017
In October we held our 2017 workshop in Dwellingup, and I would like to thank everyone that attended, for making it such a success.
The workshop itself turned out some stunning work, which raised close on $2800 at the auction, which is on a par with what we usually raise at Dwellingup. In addition to this we raised a further $108, due to Kevin's cunning plan to fine everyone $2 for every real or imagined misdemeanour that was committed at the workshop.
I would like to thank everyone who provided the wonderful home cooked meals, and to the ladies that worked tirelessly in the kitchen, while the rest of us enjoyed ourselves in the workshop; your help was very much appreciated by us all. I must also thank Dan and Kevin, for providing us with the wonderful cooked breakfasts, which we all enjoyed so much. To everyone that helped in the kitchen, I would like to add, that you are all invited back in 2019.
We had quite a few first timers at this year's Collaboration, and I would like to thank them for attending, and I would hope that you will all be able to attend our workshop in Bunbury next year.
We also had a few members who were unable to attend, either because of ill health, or because of prior commitments, and we wish them all well and hope to catch up with them again soon.
I must also thank the Collaboration WA Committee for their work throughout the year, without which our workshops wouldn't take place.
Lastly I want to thank our artist in residence for this year, Douglas Bell from South Australia; he was an inspiration to us all. A big thank you from all of your friends in Western Australia: "You are welcome back anytime".
Robert Jones
Two Day Master class with Doug Bell
This year we were fortunate enough to have Doug Bell attend our workshop at Dwellingup. While he was here, he also conducted a series of master classes for WAWA groups, the Woodcarvers Guild of WA, and a two day workshop for Collaboration WA. I will restrict my comments to the workshop that I attended as a participant, although I have received nothing but positive remarks, about the other workshops that Doug conducted.
Our master class took place at Kevin's workshop (as usual many thanks to Kevin for his hospitality). Thanks also to Nancy for the lunches and biscuits, and to anyone that supplied the yummy confections, which added to our combined waist lines.
Doug's workshop was primarily a pyrography workshop, but it was so much more than that, with in depth discussions on many subjects, which can either make or break the pieces of work that we create.
The first part of the class was devoted to how to the hold the pen, and the use of the basic tips and how to control the amount of heat to get the desired result. This was followed by instruction on how to make your own individual tips using Nichrome wire. Doug provided a number of Hoop Pine ply, laser cut profiles as practice pieces, to refine our techniques.
We were then let loose, on our own pre-turned pieces, to do with as we saw fit, with lots of advice and input from Doug.
He interrupted proceedings at regular intervals with short demonstrations and words of wisdom. Doug also provided everyone with a bound booklet which detailed not only the practical art of pyrography but also the principles of proportions, the elements of good design, and the use of colour, to name but a few.
Doug's presentation was concise, informative and entertaining; what more could we ask for. Many thanks Doug from everyone who attended your inspiring master class.
Rob Jones
Jack de Vos
It was with great sadness that we heard that Jack de Vos passed away on May 14th 2017, after a long battle with cancer.
Jack was a founding member of Collaboration WA and a long time member of the Woodturners Association of WA.
At our collaboration workshops, he could always be relied upon to produce a number of beautiful forms for others to work on. We were so lucky to have Jack as part of our group.
He was a great talent and was always willing to share his skills and ideas with his fellow wood artists and was always in great demand as a demonstrator, both at home and overseas.
Jack had great faith and was always optimistic about the future, no matter what it brought him.
He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him.
Our thoughts and sympathy go out to all of Jack's family at this very sad time.
God Bless, from all who knew you.
Rob Jones
2016
Collaboration 2016 Workshop:
The committee of Collaboration WA Inc. organised another great event in 2016,
held from Tuesday 27th of September to Saturday October 1st in the pleasant surrounds of the Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School during the school holidays.
The invited artists were
Michael Kehs
from the USA and
Nick Agar
from the UK.
All the items completed at the event were signed by each artist involved, photographed and catalogued ready for auction on the afternoon of Saturday October 1st. Both members and visitors bid on the beautiful items created with no reserve prices. The money raised will be put towards the next workshop.
Pictures of the
workshop items and participants and exhibition pieces can be seen on this site.
Doug McDiarmid
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