OVER THE FENCE DESIGNS GALLERY



Fine Woodworking by Wayne Walma--Art Quilts by Pam J. Beal in Mass City, Michigan.



Owner-member Artistree Gallery Cooperative, Land O' Lakes WI

Also represented by the Downtown Art Place, Ironwood MI and the Calumet Art Center, Calumet MI



Background

Wayne Walma, Woodworker



I approach woodwork from a traditional cabinetmaker point of view.  Joints are tight and strong and at times the method of construction becomes a design element.  My preference is to work with native species of wood and to finish with non-toxic material such as milk paint or polymerized linseed oil. 
My work has seen a progression to more independent work as woodworker/artist.  This progression is related to collaborative work with my partner, Pam Beal, and her movement from traditional quilting to an increasingly recognized art quilter.  I have become intrigued with piecing and applique of wood fiber looking at it as a quilter would look at cloth fiber.  Taking into account the movement of the wood fiber in design is the struggle. 

A notion suggested to me by an artist friend/mentor moves me to consider Wabi-Sabi:                        the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete;                                                                           
the beauty of things modest and humble; the beauty of things unconventional. 

I reflect on materials I use: 
Hand planed white pine floor boards from Pennala log home
Yellow birch log from neighbor Robert’s wood that “doesn’t look like a normal Birch.” It was Flame Yellow Birch.
Hollow logs diverted from use as culverts
Recovered 100 year submerged hemlock log from Flintsteel River
Apple wood from trees that have succumbed from too many years being climbed and broken by bear and raccoon
Roofing tin; ubiquitous in the U.P.                                                                                                               


Exhibitions-Awards
2014:  Making the Cut, Bonifas Arts Center, Escanaba, MI, Invitational Exhibit
2013:  Great Lakes Showcase, Houghton, MI  Honorable Mention
2012:
Bonifas Arts Center, Escanaba, MI: Northern Exposure XIX, Art Network Award
Bonifas Arts Center, Escanaba, MI: Fabrications III-Art Quilts of the Upper Peninsula, First Place Award
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI: Great Lakes Showcase, Second Place Award, 3D Category
Sweetwater Café, Marquette, MI: Small Compositions in Wood & Cloth, 2 Person Show

Previous:

Ed Gray Gallery, Calumet, MI: Sawdust & Loose Thread, 2 Person Show with Pam Beal
Ed Gray Gallery, Calumet, MI:  Wood-Form and Function, Group Show
Vertin Gallery, Calumet, MI: Inside & Outside the Box, Group Show
Commission: City of Marquette Arts & Culture Center, Selected to design and make the 2011 Arts Awards