-
Subscription Information
-
List your event
-
A Sample of Upcoming events
-
Show Review Form
- Archives
Artist Profiles, Book Reviews, Excerpts from previous issues, Exhibitor submitted show reviews -
Resources and Information
Alternative Markets, Artists' Websites, Craft Business Topics, Craft Centers and Schools -
About Us
-
Advertising Information
Hand Turned Wood Pens
We see Tony and Aggie at many shows and thought it was time to feature their wonderful work!Tell us about your work, how it is made and its style? I started wood turning in my late fifties as a hobby. I bought a used wood lathe and took a course on spindle turning at the Brookfield Craft Center. I made the usual wood turners' items like bowls, sconces and candlesticks. After doing those, I started making Christmas ornaments out of exotic and colored woods. The early ones just about toppled our tree. I learned to hollow out the spheres from the inside out. But these products did not excite me. One day while purchasing some colored woods, the clerk asked if I had ever turned a pen. He showed me one and I was hooked. My first two pens were made from natural woods. Then I tried pink ivory, I took one to work to show co-workers and my assistant had to have it for his wife's birthday. I didn't know what to charge him. That was the real beginning of As The Wood Turns. (Incidentally the name was the brainchild of our daughter.) Since then I have made many, many pens for different corporations, stores and celebrities. I have heard that my pens have traveled as far as California, Europe and even Australia. Many of these pens have been given as teachers' gifts, wedding party gifts as well as to pen collectors.
Who makes your work? I do all the turning and my wife Aggie does all the paper work. We are a true Mom and Pop organization. We enjoy going to the different craft shows throughout CT and Cape Cod. How does your work differ from other artists? As time went on I started making pens out of different materials such as synthetics, Buffalo horn and deer antler (these are all commercially purchased). The deer antler pens are my most popular. Whether in the Cross style, Mont Blanc style, Parker style or a custom design, people just seem to like these the best. The colored or dymond woods are also very popular. Pens are not the only items I currently turn. I have expanded to perfume applicators, key chains and bracelet helpers which I design out of wood. How long have you been doing shows and how have craft shows changed since you started? I have been doing craft shows for 18 years. We do approximately 56 shows a year when possible through rain, sun, sleet and even snow. Outdoor shows run from early April to mid October. Indoor shows go from October to mid December. We have met many fine crafters who have become friends. We have also come in contact with many customers who come back year after year. The biggest change in the craft shows is the increased influx of "Buy/Sell" items. Promoters do not seem to be carefully checking the goods that have been juried. Where can your work be purchased? My pens can be purchased at the many craft shows listed in East Coast Artisans as well as by contacting me at my home office in CT. Tony can be reached at 1-860-482-5190