artists biography
Born and raised in Beverly, Massachusetts, on the Atlantic coast north of Boston, my earliest memories of woodworking were as a very young boy, sawing...
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Born and raised in Beverly, Massachusetts, on the Atlantic coast north of Boston, my earliest memories of woodworking were as a very young boy, sawing and nailing scraps of wood cutoffs together in my Dad's basement workshop. I will never forget the pleasant aroma of freshly-cut wood emanating from that beloved basement. Any further interest in working with wood, however, was years later as an adult, but the reverence for wood always remained. After receiving a BSc and MSc degrees in engineering from The Ohio State University and the University of Southern California respectively, I became employed in California as a mission, rocket performance and orbital mechanics analyst in the Apollo space program.
I was first exposed to woodturning in 1970 through a woodworking course at a local high school Adult Education program in California. My first lathe project in that class was a small table with turned legs, which has been in our home ever since. I am for the most part self-taught, and have focused on the expressiveness of hollow forms for most of my life as a woodturner.
I presently reside in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, in Scottsdale, Arizona with my wife Judy, and work in a 400 sq. ft. studio. I am a charter member of the AAW and have missed only one of their annual symposia since 1987. I was also a charter member of Central New England Woodturners, one of the earliest chapters to organize under the AAW in 1987. Currently, I am a member of the Arizona Woodturners Association.
Over the years I have demonstrated at many symposia and local organizations. I am represented by several galleries, have work in numerous private collections, and several museums -- most notably the Smithsonian, Detroit Institute of Arts, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Yale University Art Gallery and the Wood Turning Center. See my Résumé for a more complete description.
My other interests include acoustic jazz and classical music, both very enjoyable to listen to while turning wood in my studio.
J. Paul Fennell
Résumé
ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBITS AND SHOWS
1. League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Annual Exhibit, 1988 (awarded best of media),
1989, 1990, 1993
2. Annual Turned Objects Show, Sansar Gallery, Washington, DC, 1992, 1993.
3. National Lathe-Turned Objects Exhibition, Highlight Gallery, Mendocino, CA, 1989-1995
4. Annual Turned Wood Show, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1991-2001, 2003 to present
5. Turned Wood—Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1993 to present
6. SOFA (Sculpture Objects Functional Art) Annual Show, New York and Chicago, represented by
del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1999-2010, and Gallery Materia, Scottsdale, AZ, 1999-2001.
7. Collectors of Wood Art Conference, 1998 to present, represented by del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
SELECTED EXHIBITS AND SHOWS (Chronological)
1. International Turned Objects Show (ITOS), Sept. 17-Nov.13, 1988, Port of History Museum, Philadelphia, PA,
Catalog
2. Woodturners of the Northeast…1990, Juried Exhibit, Feb.10-Mar.17, 1990, Worcester Center for Crafts,
Worcester, MA, Catalog
3. Turned Vessels Defined, Invited Artist, Apr.7-May 5, 1990, The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA, Albert
LeCoff, Curator
4. Woodturning: Vision and Concept II, Juried Exhibit, Oct.24-Dec.8, 1990, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts,
Gatlinburg, TN
5. Exhibition, The Legacy of Sam Maloof: Woodworking as a way of life, May 10-Aug. 30, 1991, The Society of
Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
6. International Lathe-Turned Objects: Challenge IV, May 17-Aug.11, 1991, Port of History Museum, Philadelphia,
PA. Catalog
7. Decade of Award Winners: An Invitational Exhibit, Mar. 20-April 26, 1992, League of New Hampshire
Craftsmen, Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene, NH
8. Conservation by Design, Juried exhibit, Oct. 1993-Jan. 1994, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design,
Providence, RI. Catalogue
9. National Woodturning Exhibition, May 28,-June 12, 1994, Melbourne, Australia (Awarded 3rd place, best piece
in show from eucalyptus wood)
10. Turning Plus…Redefining the Lathe-Turned Object III, Dec. 10-Feb. 5, 1995, Arizona State University, Tempe,
AZ
11. Governor’s Arts Awards Object Competition. Selected as one of five Arizona artists to create a piece for the
1995 Governor’s Arts Awards, Scottsdale, AZ
12. Arizona Biennial, Juried Exhibit, June 16-Aug. 6, 1995, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
13. Points of View: Collectors and Collecting, Craft and Folk Arts Museum, Los Angeles, CA, 1995
14. Nature Turning into Art, The Ruth and David Waterbury Collection of Turned Wood Bowls, Oct. 13-Nov. 16,
1995, Carleton Art Gallery, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
15. Expressions in Wood: Masterworks from the Wornick Collection, Feb. 8-July 20, 1997, Oakland Museum of
California
16. Exhibit Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art,
Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC, June 28, 1997
17. Turning Wood into Art: The Jane and Arthur Mason Collection, Mint Museum of Craft & Design, Charlotte, NC,
May 18, 2000
18. The Fine Art of Wood: The Bohlen Collection, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI, July 7, 2000
19. Nature Takes a Turn, Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul, MN, June 22-Aug. 12, 2001
20. Challenge VI – Roots: Insights and Inspirations In Contemporary Turned Objects, Philip and Muriel Berman
Museum of Art, Collegeville, PA, Sept. 8-Nov. 11, 2001
21. Collectors’ Showcase Exhibit, SOFA/Chicago 2002, sponsored by the Collectors of Wood Art, Nov. 2002.,
Chicago, IL
22. New Visions in Wood, Gallery Materia, Scottsdale, AZ, Jan. 2003
24. One Step Back, Two Steps Forward, Exhibit curated by Robyn Horn, Patina Gallery, Sept. 11-Oct. 12, 2003,
Santa Fe, NM.
25. Beneath the Bark: Twenty-Five Years of Woodturning, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Utah
Woodturning Symposium, Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Mar. 4-July 31, 2004
26. Nature Transformed: Wood Art from the Bohlen Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art, July 20-
Oct. 3, 2004, Ann Arbor, MI, catalog.
27. From Sea to Odyssey Exhibit, 2004 American Association of Woodturners Annual Symposium, July-August,
2004, Caribe Royale Convention Center, Orlando, FL, American Association of Woodturners Gallery,
Landmark Center, St. Paul MN, Sept.9 – Dec. 17, 2004
28. Celebrating Nature: Craft Traditions/Contemporary Expressions, Aug. 11- Oct. 31, 2004, Craft and Folk Art
Museum, Los Angeles, CA
29. COLLECT: The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Jan.
12-17, 2005. Represented by Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London.
30. J. Paul Fennell: Wood Vessels, Cervini Haas Gallery/Gallery Materia, Scottsdale, AZ, Jan. 6-Feb. 19, 2005.
31. A Nation of Enchanted Form: Woodturning Artists from Across North America, American Association of
Woodturners Gallery, St. Paul, MN, Jan. 18-April 1, 2005. Also exhibited at the Center for Furniture
Craftmanship, Rockport, ME, Apr. 22-June 16, 2005
32. Reflections: Selections from the Wood Turning Center’s Collections, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA,
Feb. 4-Mar. 19, 2005.
33. Art Beneath The Bark, 42nd Annual Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts Exhibit, June 24-26, 2005. Invited
exhibitor.
34. Glass Metal Wood, The Phoenix Airport Museum, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, AZ, July
2, 2005 – January 16, 2006. Hand-crafted artworks by 13 Arizona artists.
35. Selected Works Exhibit, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 14-April 15, 2006
36. Our Turn Now: Artists Speak Out in Wood, The Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 22-March 19, 2006.
37. Woodturning on the Edge, Pritchard Gallery, University of Idaho, Feb. 26-April 1, 2006, catalogue.
38. COLLECT: The International Fair for Contemporary Objects, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Feb. 2-25,
2006. Represented by Sarah Myserscough Gallery, catalogue.
39. Step Up To The Plate, Louisville Slugger Museum, Louisville, KY, June 21-September 4, 2006, American
Association of Woodturners 2006 Exhibition, catalogue.
40. Woodturned Sculptures Too, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, IN, 2006
41. Spotlight On: Arizona Artists, Exhibition by Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, January 4 -February 1, 2007.
42. Selected Works, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, January 13 - February 2, 2007
43. Turning Green, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland, OR, June 28-July 22, 2007, American Association
of Woodturners 2007 Exhibition, catalogue
44. Japanese Bowls--a Western Perspective, Invitational Exhibit at the annual symposium of the American
Association of Woodturners, Professional Outreach program, Portland Oregon, 2007, catalogue
45. The Sphere, Invitational Exhibit at the annual symposium of the American Association of Woodturners,
Professional Outreach Program, Richmond, Virginia, 2008, catalogue
Resume (continued) Page 2 INVITED DEMONSTRATOR
Annual American Association of Woodturners Symposia, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010
Annual Utah Woodturning Symposia, Provo, UT, 1995, 1997, 2002
Various Local Chapters of the American Association of Woodturners, USA and Canada
Turnfest 2010, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Turning Southern Style XV1, Unicoi, GA, 2010
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Arthur and June Mason, Washington, DC
Fleur and Charles Bresler, Rockville, MD
Dale and Noreen Nish, Provo, UT
The Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA
Sam Maloof, Alta Loma, CA
Robyn and John Horn. Little Rock, AR
Ruth and David Waterbury, Minneapolis, MN
David Greenburg
Anita and Ron Wornick, St. Helena, CA
Daphne Farago, Rhode Island
Marilyn Friedman, New York, NY
Robert Bohlen, Michigan
Al Selnick, New York, NY
Harry and Doris Wolin, Evanston, IL
Brian and Hana Smouha, London, England
Raymond Wong, Hong Kong, China
Judith Barton
Elizabeth York
Jerome and Deena Kaplan, Bethesda, MD
Judith Chernoff & Jeffrey Bernstein, Laurel, MD
Steven & Karen Keeble, Chevy Chase, MD
David and Nancy Wolf
The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
The Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Yale University Art Gallery
Michigan University Museum of Art
Cincinnati Art Museum
Museum of Arts & Design, New York
Racine Art Museum
Mobile Museum of Art
Carnegie Museum of Art
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I was first exposed to woodturning in 1970 through a woodworking course at a local high school Adult Education program in California. My first lathe project in that class was a small table with turned legs, which has been in our home ever since. I am for the most part self-taught, and have focused on the expressiveness of hollow forms for most of my life as a woodturner.
I presently reside in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, in Scottsdale, Arizona with my wife Judy, and work in a 400 sq. ft. studio. I am a charter member of the AAW and have missed only one of their annual symposia since 1987. I was also a charter member of Central New England Woodturners, one of the earliest chapters to organize under the AAW in 1987. Currently, I am a member of the Arizona Woodturners Association.
Over the years I have demonstrated at many symposia and local organizations. I am represented by several galleries, have work in numerous private collections, and several museums -- most notably the Smithsonian, Detroit Institute of Arts, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Yale University Art Gallery and the Wood Turning Center. See my Résumé for a more complete description.
My other interests include acoustic jazz and classical music, both very enjoyable to listen to while turning wood in my studio.
J. Paul Fennell
Résumé
ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBITS AND SHOWS
1. League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Annual Exhibit, 1988 (awarded best of media),
1989, 1990, 1993
2. Annual Turned Objects Show, Sansar Gallery, Washington, DC, 1992, 1993.
3. National Lathe-Turned Objects Exhibition, Highlight Gallery, Mendocino, CA, 1989-1995
4. Annual Turned Wood Show, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1991-2001, 2003 to present
5. Turned Wood—Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 1993 to present
6. SOFA (Sculpture Objects Functional Art) Annual Show, New York and Chicago, represented by
del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 1999-2010, and Gallery Materia, Scottsdale, AZ, 1999-2001.
7. Collectors of Wood Art Conference, 1998 to present, represented by del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
SELECTED EXHIBITS AND SHOWS (Chronological)
1. International Turned Objects Show (ITOS), Sept. 17-Nov.13, 1988, Port of History Museum, Philadelphia, PA,
Catalog
2. Woodturners of the Northeast…1990, Juried Exhibit, Feb.10-Mar.17, 1990, Worcester Center for Crafts,
Worcester, MA, Catalog
3. Turned Vessels Defined, Invited Artist, Apr.7-May 5, 1990, The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA, Albert
LeCoff, Curator
4. Woodturning: Vision and Concept II, Juried Exhibit, Oct.24-Dec.8, 1990, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts,
Gatlinburg, TN
5. Exhibition, The Legacy of Sam Maloof: Woodworking as a way of life, May 10-Aug. 30, 1991, The Society of
Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
6. International Lathe-Turned Objects: Challenge IV, May 17-Aug.11, 1991, Port of History Museum, Philadelphia,
PA. Catalog
7. Decade of Award Winners: An Invitational Exhibit, Mar. 20-April 26, 1992, League of New Hampshire
Craftsmen, Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene, NH
8. Conservation by Design, Juried exhibit, Oct. 1993-Jan. 1994, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design,
Providence, RI. Catalogue
9. National Woodturning Exhibition, May 28,-June 12, 1994, Melbourne, Australia (Awarded 3rd place, best piece
in show from eucalyptus wood)
10. Turning Plus…Redefining the Lathe-Turned Object III, Dec. 10-Feb. 5, 1995, Arizona State University, Tempe,
AZ
11. Governor’s Arts Awards Object Competition. Selected as one of five Arizona artists to create a piece for the
1995 Governor’s Arts Awards, Scottsdale, AZ
12. Arizona Biennial, Juried Exhibit, June 16-Aug. 6, 1995, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
13. Points of View: Collectors and Collecting, Craft and Folk Arts Museum, Los Angeles, CA, 1995
14. Nature Turning into Art, The Ruth and David Waterbury Collection of Turned Wood Bowls, Oct. 13-Nov. 16,
1995, Carleton Art Gallery, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
15. Expressions in Wood: Masterworks from the Wornick Collection, Feb. 8-July 20, 1997, Oakland Museum of
California
16. Exhibit Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art,
Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC, June 28, 1997
17. Turning Wood into Art: The Jane and Arthur Mason Collection, Mint Museum of Craft & Design, Charlotte, NC,
May 18, 2000
18. The Fine Art of Wood: The Bohlen Collection, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI, July 7, 2000
19. Nature Takes a Turn, Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul, MN, June 22-Aug. 12, 2001
20. Challenge VI – Roots: Insights and Inspirations In Contemporary Turned Objects, Philip and Muriel Berman
Museum of Art, Collegeville, PA, Sept. 8-Nov. 11, 2001
21. Collectors’ Showcase Exhibit, SOFA/Chicago 2002, sponsored by the Collectors of Wood Art, Nov. 2002.,
Chicago, IL
22. New Visions in Wood, Gallery Materia, Scottsdale, AZ, Jan. 2003
24. One Step Back, Two Steps Forward, Exhibit curated by Robyn Horn, Patina Gallery, Sept. 11-Oct. 12, 2003,
Santa Fe, NM.
25. Beneath the Bark: Twenty-Five Years of Woodturning, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Utah
Woodturning Symposium, Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Mar. 4-July 31, 2004
26. Nature Transformed: Wood Art from the Bohlen Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Art, July 20-
Oct. 3, 2004, Ann Arbor, MI, catalog.
27. From Sea to Odyssey Exhibit, 2004 American Association of Woodturners Annual Symposium, July-August,
2004, Caribe Royale Convention Center, Orlando, FL, American Association of Woodturners Gallery,
Landmark Center, St. Paul MN, Sept.9 – Dec. 17, 2004
28. Celebrating Nature: Craft Traditions/Contemporary Expressions, Aug. 11- Oct. 31, 2004, Craft and Folk Art
Museum, Los Angeles, CA
29. COLLECT: The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Jan.
12-17, 2005. Represented by Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London.
30. J. Paul Fennell: Wood Vessels, Cervini Haas Gallery/Gallery Materia, Scottsdale, AZ, Jan. 6-Feb. 19, 2005.
31. A Nation of Enchanted Form: Woodturning Artists from Across North America, American Association of
Woodturners Gallery, St. Paul, MN, Jan. 18-April 1, 2005. Also exhibited at the Center for Furniture
Craftmanship, Rockport, ME, Apr. 22-June 16, 2005
32. Reflections: Selections from the Wood Turning Center’s Collections, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA,
Feb. 4-Mar. 19, 2005.
33. Art Beneath The Bark, 42nd Annual Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts Exhibit, June 24-26, 2005. Invited
exhibitor.
34. Glass Metal Wood, The Phoenix Airport Museum, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, AZ, July
2, 2005 – January 16, 2006. Hand-crafted artworks by 13 Arizona artists.
35. Selected Works Exhibit, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 14-April 15, 2006
36. Our Turn Now: Artists Speak Out in Wood, The Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 22-March 19, 2006.
37. Woodturning on the Edge, Pritchard Gallery, University of Idaho, Feb. 26-April 1, 2006, catalogue.
38. COLLECT: The International Fair for Contemporary Objects, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Feb. 2-25,
2006. Represented by Sarah Myserscough Gallery, catalogue.
39. Step Up To The Plate, Louisville Slugger Museum, Louisville, KY, June 21-September 4, 2006, American
Association of Woodturners 2006 Exhibition, catalogue.
40. Woodturned Sculptures Too, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, IN, 2006
41. Spotlight On: Arizona Artists, Exhibition by Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, January 4 -February 1, 2007.
42. Selected Works, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, January 13 - February 2, 2007
43. Turning Green, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland, OR, June 28-July 22, 2007, American Association
of Woodturners 2007 Exhibition, catalogue
44. Japanese Bowls--a Western Perspective, Invitational Exhibit at the annual symposium of the American
Association of Woodturners, Professional Outreach program, Portland Oregon, 2007, catalogue
45. The Sphere, Invitational Exhibit at the annual symposium of the American Association of Woodturners,
Professional Outreach Program, Richmond, Virginia, 2008, catalogue
Resume (continued) Page 2 INVITED DEMONSTRATOR
Annual American Association of Woodturners Symposia, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010
Annual Utah Woodturning Symposia, Provo, UT, 1995, 1997, 2002
Various Local Chapters of the American Association of Woodturners, USA and Canada
Turnfest 2010, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Turning Southern Style XV1, Unicoi, GA, 2010
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Arthur and June Mason, Washington, DC
Fleur and Charles Bresler, Rockville, MD
Dale and Noreen Nish, Provo, UT
The Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA
Sam Maloof, Alta Loma, CA
Robyn and John Horn. Little Rock, AR
Ruth and David Waterbury, Minneapolis, MN
David Greenburg
Anita and Ron Wornick, St. Helena, CA
Daphne Farago, Rhode Island
Marilyn Friedman, New York, NY
Robert Bohlen, Michigan
Al Selnick, New York, NY
Harry and Doris Wolin, Evanston, IL
Brian and Hana Smouha, London, England
Raymond Wong, Hong Kong, China
Judith Barton
Elizabeth York
Jerome and Deena Kaplan, Bethesda, MD
Judith Chernoff & Jeffrey Bernstein, Laurel, MD
Steven & Karen Keeble, Chevy Chase, MD
David and Nancy Wolf
The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
The Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Yale University Art Gallery
Michigan University Museum of Art
Cincinnati Art Museum
Museum of Arts & Design, New York
Racine Art Museum
Mobile Museum of Art
Carnegie Museum of Art
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Reflections
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Emei Lattice
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