William P. Smith

"Most of my art is not intended to make statements about myself or my world. I focus upon creating objects that are satisfying to hold, view, and feel."
-William P. Smith

Residing in Pennsylvania among the hardwood forests of the Northeast, William Smith has worked with wood for most of his life. Since 1994, he has turned his attention to woodturning, a form of woodworking in which the wood moves while a tool is used to cut and shape it.

Smith creates vessels using the open segmented construction technique, which involves cutting each individual piece of wood or segment and gluing them together to form geometric patterns when they are turned. He is particularly interested in the regimentation and geometrical patterning this process affords. Smith uses clean shapes and lines to emphasize the patterns, and he is most fond of the interplay of light and shadows one sees when viewing his work. Depending on the complexity of each work, Smith produces an average of two works a month. The ranging complexity of the artist's work demonstrates the scope of his skill and mastery. The organic, non-symmetrical and textural quality in much of Smith's latest work reflects his recent awareness and interest in the natural world.

Smith is a self-taught artist whose work has been featured in several regional and national exhibitions, including SOFA in Chicago and New York, in which he was represented by the del Mano Gallery in Los Angeles. Additionally, he has conducted workshops at conventions of the American Association of Woodturners. In 2002, he authored a book, Segmented Wood Turning, so he could share his process with other wood artists.

Education
Self-taught

Influences
Smith is influenced by local artists Mark Sfirri, David Ellsworth, and George Radeschi

Connection to Bucks County
Smith has lived and worked in Bucks County since 1975. His studio is located in Gardenville.

Colleagues
Robert Dodge, Mark Sfirri, George Radeschi, John Matthews

Affiliations
Officer, Bucks County Woodturners
Steering Committee Member for the annual Echo Lake Collaborative Conference, Bucks County Community College

Exhibitions
Bucks County Sculpture Show, 1998
Third National Exhibition of the AAW Chapters, 1998
Evolution in Wood, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 1998
Regional Wood Turning: Established and Emerging Talent, Abington Art Center, Abington, Pennsylvania, 1999
Challenge VI: Insights and Inspirations in Contemporary Turned Objects, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2001
Branching Out: Contemporary Wood Turning in 2002, Ellipse Art Center, Arlington, Virginia, 2002
Turned Wood, Small Treasures, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, California, 2003-2007
Tree of Life: Wood Art, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2004
ReTurn To Oz, AAW Juried Exhibit, 2005
SOFA, Represented by del Mano Gallery, Chicago, 2005
SOFA, Represented by del Mano Gallery, New York, 2006
Greater Norristown Art League Sculpture Show, 2006
Up to the Plate, AAW Juried Exhibition, 2006
Works in Wood, New Hope Arts, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 2006

Publications
Author, Segmented Wood Turning, 2002

Awards
2nd Place, Greater Norristown Art League Sculpture Show

Teaching Appointments
Presentations and workshops at the national, regional, and local levels, including guest speaking at Bucks County Community College and the CLR at Delaware College
Demonstrated basic and advanced open segmented construction techniques, American Association of Woodturners National Convention, 1999, 2005
Annual Echo Lake Invitational Collaborative Workshops, 1999-2006