Worldly wise

There were 43 scheduled demonstrators, with lecturers from 10 countries offering more than 80 subjects over the three days, plus a gallery of their work. In addition, there was also an instant gallery of pieces made by delegates, a trade show and an exhibition of ornamental turning in the French tradition.
Although the French take their turning very seriously, there was also plenty of humour evident such as the tractor-drawn, foot-powered lathe used by Alain Mailland, among others, at the opening ceremony.
The exhibition of demonstrators' pieces was wonderful to behold. This was artistic Woodturning at its most imaginative and decorative. Much of the work was textured and coloured, and the turning element was clearly just the starting point for many pieces.

Local talent

The big French names had some characteristically great pieces, such as Alain Mailland's, where the organic influence was obvious but carried forward to produce a truly uplifting piece. Thierry Martenon has developed since I last saw his work a couple of years ago. His 900mm (36in) tall Inclined Tubes have real presence. I was impressed by his willingness to share every detail of the process in his demonstration and his disarming protestations that there was nothing technically difficult about them.
As in so many of these pieces, what I learnt was that it is the originality of the idea that marks the truly artistic turner out from the rest.

L'envol (The takeoff) by Alain Mailland 600mm dia x 580 mm H Tubes inclinés (Inclined tubes) by Thierry Martenon, 70mm dia x 900mm H

"The exhibition came close to overwhelming me because of the uniqueness of the pieces and their asymmetry" next