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Turning aesthetics

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Nige7:
At a meeting on Friday night I started to wonder if there is an accepted judging system for turned items. Certainly the comments passed on some of the items sounded to my ignorant ears to be very professional as if there was some sort of published standards at work. I guess that if there are competitions then there are probably general rules. Is that the case can anybody tell me ??

Nigel

Andy Coates:
The short answer is "no".

There are things that work and things that don't. A kind of accepted general aesthetic is that curves should be curved and not contain flat facets. There are many opinions - and that's really all they are - on any aspect of the completed form, and whilst most are based on a general aesthetic (as might be gleaned from any number of books on ceramics, glass, sculpture, wood, metals Etc.) which is widely accepted, there is no reason you can't break the mould and go your own way so long as you understand that there are certain things which the human eye and brain are programmed to see as beautiful and others that we find not so.

The exception is woodturning competitions where a "score card" will be used to mark the pieces. These tend to be based on a very prescribed series of expectations with a conservative and traditional grounding. Many people feel these might be slightly out moded or perhaps not open to new ideas. But that's what you get in such competitions so I suppose entrant beware might be a good watch phrase.
All this isn't much help, I know. The best thing you can do is look, listen, absorb and then make your own mind up about what you like and don't like. But if you err towards a more self expressed path be perpared for criticisms and heated comments.

Most of all just enjoy it!

kasandrich:
As Andy has stated, there are set accepted forms and shapes, if you dare to step outside of that then you are likely to get slated for it, my personal opinion is that while there are many beautiful objects made in these traditional shapes, we should not restrict our minds to those shapes only and we should continue to explore shape, otherwise there will be no innovation in woodturning and we will all in effect be copying what has already been done before.

.......but I probably won't be popular for that opinion :)

Nige7:
Thanks Andy, a great explanation. Thanks also to Kasandrovich and George, useful and valid opinions.  I guess that if you are going to display finished work, particularly in a club environment, you should expect and accept the criticism, positive or negative that you are asking for.  If you decide to step outside the 'traditional norm' then you should be able to explain/defend your work in an effort to move forward from the traditional situation in a manner that Kasandrovich advocates.

As a newcomer to the craft, and crediting myself with at least a modicum of brainpower, I realise that learning the traditional skills and forms is going to be the best start, not least because they are the skills and forms that people I ask advice from are going to know and be skilful in.  While the learning is going on I can still apply my brain to ways I might do something a little 'outside the box' if you will excuse the pun.

Much obliged folks :)

Nigel

BrianH:
I'm sorry to report but there are, among us Woodies, a few who muddle up the words 'Opinion' and 'Fact'. The safest way around the problem is to treat everything you hear, read or are told, no matter how eminant the speaker/writer may appear as an opinion. You are then free to take them all on board, examine, question and try them all before coming to your own opinion, which may very well be different from them all.
Does that make sense? ???
Brian

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