Words and photos by Linda Nathan, Wood Review Editor
Wild weather put a stop to the opening and awards presentation night for this year’s Wootha Prize exhibition at Maleny, Qld, but it didn’t prevent the coming together of a fantastic display of work. When the rain stopped almost as abruptly later that evening it also meant a happy reprieve for the Wood Expo which began the next day and continues until 5pm today.
Thirteen entries made the final cut for an exhibition that has at its core both a theme and an ethic which the selectors firmly hold entrants to. The Wootha Prize exhibition is the heart of Maleny’s Wood Expo and both stipulate that sustainably sourced timbers must be the only ones highlighted.
Organised by Barung Landcare, the Expo is now in its 19th year and has grown to represent a festival of all things wood, from displays of native tree seedlings, to machinery for breaking down logs; to slabs, burls and boards for sale; to workshops for those who want to try their hand; to information for wood lovers and collectors, musical instrument makers, fine woodworkers and craftspeople. There is food, music and fun for the whole family and the invitation to come along and enjoy is taken up by thousands of people (last year 10,000 was the estimate).
2015 marks the 8th Wootha Prize and each has given would-be entrants a theme to inspire an artwork or piece of furniture crafted from wood. This year’s theme was ‘Planting the Seed’ and predictably sculptural works, several depicting seeds and seed pods featured. Others took a more abstract interpretation. I was fortunate to act as a judge for the exhibition along with well known furniture makers George Gavaric and Ross Annels.
Peter Stibilj, a Sydney furniture maker, won the major $2,500 cash prize sponsored by HQ Plantations with his Glide cocktail cabinet that featured tambour doors, glass shelves and internal mirror back. The cabinet is shown above and was made from small sections and offcuts of Tasmanian blackwood with slimline spotted gum handles that were ebonised. With its restrained design, pared back proportions and fine detailing, Peter’s cabinet was a succinct illustration of how commercially lower value wood can be used to create a high value piece. Fostering a greater appreciation of wood and its value was the seed Peter was trying to plant.
Brenda Walker from Bundaberg, Qld won 2nd prize of $750 sponsored by Queensland Water and Land Carers with her piece The Journey (shown above). We, as in the judges, gravitated to this piece as instinctively as we had done to Peter’s piece. What presented as a ‘simple’ shell form was a finely shaped form sculpted from sections of hoop pine. The pieces that were laminated had been cut in a sequence, each larger than the one before, seeking to ‘portray the gradual and incremental growth of the Nautilus shell’, as Brenda wrote in her artist’s statement. The wood used came from offcuts from a wood chopping competition that became ‘fertile ground’ for this artist’s imagination.
Third prize of $500 was sponsored by Timber Transitions and was awarded to Richard Vaughan, Brisbane furniture maker, for his Seeda Pearl Box. A shell form sculpted from salvaged jacaranda contained a single black ‘pearl’ which drew on the idea of how pearls can be created by seeding. In contrast to the smooth blond interior the outer surfaces of the box were chiselled and ebonised. All-wood hinges were a subtle touch, and the box rested on a shaped integral red cedar base.
Each year a People’s Choice Award of $500 is also made, this year sponsored once again by HQ Plantations. This year the winner is Jack Wilms with his piece Bold Prediction.
If you click on one of the images below you can click on arrows to view the others and read captions.