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Janice Levi |
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a lady,
a leader,
a woodturner, and
a Gulf Coast Treasure |
Editor's Note: Janice
Levi represents all that is good about woodturning. First and
foremost, she's a great woodturner. Second, and just as
important, she's a highly dedicated individual--dedicated, not only to woodturning, but also to
her club, where she served two terms as its president, and to her fellow
club members, with whom she shares freely her talent and enthusiasm for
woodturning.
After Janice
received the club's 2006 Luna Ford Award, we asked her to share her
thoughts about woodturning. She gave us that...and a whole lot
more. Enjoy.
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"When I was a
child, my father had a wood lathe. I was always fascinated watching him use various
chisels to turn stool legs, repair broken handles for pots and
pans, and so on. Occasionally, he would let me “turn” wood
while keeping a firm hand on mine.
"Many, many
years later, I saw weed pots in a little shop and I had an
overwhelming desire to learn how to make them. So, for my
birthday one year, I asked my husband, Tom, for a wood lathe.
We picked one out at Johnny Boland’s shop in Pasadena. He told
me about the woodturner’s club and that they would be meeting at
his store that very next month, August, 2001. I went. A fellow
named Luna Ford was demonstrating how to turn using the skew. I
took copious notes and went home and tried to apply what I
thought I had learned. |
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"Fortunately for me, there were several members who lived nearby
and two woodturners, who have become very dear friends of mine,
began to stop by and give me pointers. Bill Berry had a
whiteboard even then and Luna Ford had the patience of Job. I
had the benefit of their help and advice on most Wednesday
afternoons for the next six months or so, hot or cold weather. |
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"There are many things I have tried over the years—sewing, painting,
crafting, gardening, even motorcycle riding—but woodturning became a
passion. I enjoyed everything about it—well, maybe not the half worms.
And the weed pots I wanted to make so desperately? I think I made two
or three, then it was on to bigger and better things. |
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"As much as I loved
turning, I also loved the club. I liked the members, the
demonstrations, the Show and Tell, the raffle, the doughnuts. I began
asking a lot of questions about the business side of the organization
and at lunch one day, someone suggested that I might be interested in
filling a vacant spot on the Board. I said I would be delighted to do
that and the next month, I was accepted as the final Board member.
Since I was a note taker, I took notes at the Board meetings and became
an unofficial secretary. My official task was to purchase raffle prizes
and conduct the raffle. While taking suggestions from club members as
to what they would like to have, we began to make a real push to provide
more quality prizes and make the raffle a good money maker for the club.
"When I joined GCWA, I
was one of fewer than five females in a club of 150. I never felt that
I was at a disadvantage because of it, and I have often wondered why
more women don’t take up the craft. Because I took lots of notes, the
nominating committee thought I might make a good president, so as I
approached my third year as a member, I accepted the nomination.
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"My goal as
president was to increase the profile of the organization in the
community and with AAW. In some ways, I think we were
successful. With the help of a strong Board, we formalized the
Mentor Program, turned a section of the AAW Totem Pole for
Arrowmont, purchased video equipment, expanded the Retreat in
May, wrote and received an AAW grant for lathes and turning
tools for Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. We sought out
new ways to do turning demos in the community, adding Family
Days at Bayou Bend to already established demos at the Houston
Tool Show and the Arboretum, and we steadily increased our
membership to almost 200 strong. |
"As guest turners, we
were able to bring in Trent Bosch, Phil Brennion and Cindy Drozda. I’ll
admit that I pushed very hard for Cindy Drozda, a very talented female
turner. She was excellent and her demonstration was very well
attended. The influence she had on our club is still apparent today in
the quality of boxes and finials that our members are able to turn. I
think that having a high profile female turner also helped lure more
females into our club. Today, there are probably 20 or more women in
our organization who are actively turning.
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 "Although
I enjoyed being president for two terms, in many ways my own
turning was put on the back burner. I often missed the
excellent demonstrations or Show and Tell. Now when I attend a
meeting, I can take out my notepad and pen and take notes, one
of the things I still feel compelled to do. Then I can take my
notes home and try to do what I think I learned. |
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"How do I see myself as
a turner? I consider myself as an artist. I do make bowls, platters,
vases, etc. but I prefer to make them from wormy, holey, rotted wood.
My lathes are set up in our barn and hopefully, I’ll soon have a real
space to work. A few days ago, it was bitterly cold and my husband had
to do some woodworking in the barn. He came in with a new plan to
enclose the shop area so it could be heated. (And after heat comes
cooling.) We all know that when a turner has a heated and cooled shop,
he/she has a “studio” and if you have a studio, you must be an artist!" |
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