Wood Turning Show At Maryland Hall

By THERESA WINSLOW
The Capital of Annapolis

DAVIDSONVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Joe Dickey used to hunt for dead wood. Now, hunks and chunks of all kinds of trees find their way to him. That's what happens when you're a nationally recognized wood turner.

"I have two pieces of his," said Joann Vaughan, executive director of the Maryland Federation of Art. "The execution is so perfect."

Dickey, 74, of Davidsonville, uses a lathe and chisels to transform wood into all kinds of bowls, boxes, platters and planet-like spheres. Some are dyed various colors, others are left natural. He also makes furniture.

Beyond his skill, his finished work can also showcase his wry sense of humor, such a sugar bowl with a hole too small for the spoon to come out. He also made a church collection plate without a bottom.

Asked how he'd feel if someone bought one of his bowls and used it for storage, he blanched. "I better not find anybody putting soup in one of them. I'll take it back... It's non-functional, that's different than dysfunctional."

Dickey's work has been featured at the MFA, an organization he's also led; and galleries across the country.

"I don't know that anyone does work like Joe does," said Katharene Snavely, executive director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. "I'm a great admirer of his art."

His latest show opened April 17 in the Balcony Gallery at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis and will feature about 15 bowls. They'll later be moved to the lobby display case.

"His work is just gorgeous," said April Nyman, executive director of the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County.

The reception for the exhibit comes 90 minutes before one of Dickey's musical groups, The Other Band, takes the stage at the arts center. The events are being billed together as "Music in Art: Art in Music."

The Annapolis-based quartet plans on playing two sets, for a total of about 30 songs. Their repertoire includes bluegrass, folk, country and rock oldies. Dickey, who plays the banjo, is also in the Northern Virginia-based band "Shenandoah Run."

"I mean, he's a genius," said Maryland Hall's executive director, Linnell Bowen. "The music is entertaining. The art is exquisite."

Life's twists and turns

Dickey, a retired Johns Hopkins physics professor, was absorbed by chess by a teenager, but never did anything artistic until 30 years ago.

Looking to break out of a depression after divorce, he signed up for a week-long course on wood turning at a Tennessee college.

"I needed to get out and do something," he said. "I'd always been interested in woodworking and... it turns out it was quite natural for me."

It's also not an exaggeration to say Dickey wood-turned himself healthy. He's never had another depressive episode.

Dickey spends 10 to 15 hours a week wood turning. Another big chunk of his week is spent on music. He uses the rest of his time tending to an orchard of rare American chestnut trees.

"I like wood," said Dickey, a grandfather who has a doctorate in acoustics and mathematical physics. "(And) I like it when woods speak to you. That's a special moment. All of a sudden you look at it and see (what you're going to make)."

Dickey favors local wood, with maple as his top choice because of the lines that form during the early stages of rotting. He's also made pieces from famous trees, such as the Wye Oak and Franklin Street Elm. In the case of the latter, he was asked to make a piece from the tree after it fell.

A truck dropped off a 7 1/2 tons of elm. "It's a little bit like an Eskimo that has an iceberg and wants to build a house," he said. "I started with a chainsaw and took out a plug."

So far, he's made more than 20 pieces from the elm, and there's plenty left over.

The first step with any wood turning also involves the chainsaw. Dickey then roughs out a shape on his lathe, waxes it and leaves it to dry. The wax makes the drying process more even, but it can take months.

Dickey weighs the piece periodically during this time to gauge drying. The methodical way he approaches the process reflects his scientific background.

Once a piece is dry, it goes back on the lathe, to finish turning. He then sands it and puts on finish.

"The most exciting part is when you start applying finish," he said. "All of a sudden, it sparkles (and) you can see all the subtleties in the grain."

Dickey's workshop, which is next to his home, is filled with all kinds of tools, and of course, lots of wood.

He's taken one other class on wood turning, but aside from that is self-taught. Dickey learned through experience, and enjoys passing his knowledge onto others. He's taught at Maryland Hall for about 20 years.

Doug Bartos of Jessup said a workshop by Dickey was his first exposure to the creative side of wood turning.

"I love his work," said Bartos, who serves as president of Chesapeake Woodturners. "It's unique and technically superior. Joe's always been an inspiration to the club. He's always been an inspiration to me."

Dickey enjoys the praise, but it's not the reason he works with wood. "It's kind of nice people `ooh and aah' over it," he said. "But I'd probably do it even if they didn't. It's a matter of expression; artistic expression."

He also likes the fact that the actual turning only takes several hours.

"It's almost instant gratification. I don't know what I'll do next, but it'll have to take minutes."

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)