AUGUSTA — An opening reception for “Elevation: From the Woodpile to the Pedestal” by Dennis Curtis is planned for 2-4 p.m. Sunday, March 12, at the Viles Arboretum. Attendees can view a selection of turned wooden pieces.

Refreshments and food will be served and Curtis will share an overview of the pieces on display as well as his perspective on the creative energy that guides his work.

“I’ve always been a maker. I started when I was very young in my Dad’s shop, nailing lobster trap scraps together. Over the years, woodworking became and stayed the main outlet for my need to create. Like most hobbyist woodworkers, I enjoyed making furniture, cabinets, toys, puzzles, and whatever else captured my interest.

My “turning” point was a routine visit back in 2005 to a woodworking tool store. That day there was a woodturning demonstration underway right there in the store. A wood turner had a lathe set up and running, and chips and shavings were flying. While I had tried turning at a lathe before (without instruction), what I was seeing now was clearly another thing altogether. This was something I needed to find out about,” Curtis said in a news release from the arboretum.

Curtis is a member of the Maine Wood Turners Association and his works have been widely exhibited at shows and galleries throughout Maine from the Asticou Connection to the Brunswick Outdoors Art Festival.

For more information, visit www.denniscurtiswoodturning.com.


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