As the wood turns

Although it may seem like it, not all of the namesake sawdust at the Sawdust Art Festival is created by woodturner Jeff Davison.

For the first time, the Huntington Beach artist is selling his wooden bowls and pens at the festival’s Winter Fantasy, which is open for two more weekends until Dec. 14 in Laguna Beach.

“I love doing what I do,” Davison said. He left a high-stress job a couple years ago, and says he’s now having the time of his life.

Business in Laguna has been brisk so far, Davison said.

“I was really scared because the economy’s not so good,” he said. “But this has been really good for me. So far it’s been a really good experience.”

Many of his bowls have a “gnarly” natural edge, and some even have knotholes in the sides, which can be filled with colored resins or even turquoise. The bowls can be consistently colored or extremely variegated, depending on the wood used, and are finished with oil or a high gloss. The glossed pieces take on an almost translucent appearance.

“I get my wood from a couple of different tree-trimming friends of mine,” Davison said. “It’s kind of a symbiotic relationship. In return, I give them one of my high-end pieces. They love it.”

The trimmers work in the San Bernardino and Cerritos areas, and often trim exotic trees; when a “mystery” piece ends up in Davison’s supply, he inspects it like it’s an uncut diamond, looking for the best way to work it.

“When I look at a piece of wood out in the field, I talk to it — and it almost talks to me,” Davison said.

“I can tell what it will be when I look at it. I ask myself, is it going to cooperate? Usually they do.”

His wooden pens have turned into a top seller at the Sawdust; their uniqueness and price point ($30 and up) have made them an attractive option for men.

Davison hopes to branch out into doing demonstrations at schools or for other interested parties.

“To set a large piece spinning at 900 RPM is always exciting — and a bit scary,” he said. “So I always take lots of precautions. But people love it.”

Davison also exhibits in Huntington on Tuesdays at the Surf City Nights free open-air festival; he can be found again starting Dec. 16 in front of Fred’s Mexican Café on Main Street.

In addition, his works are found twice a year at the Huntington Beach Art Center.

Davison bought the family’s Huntington Beach home in 1995; their neighbors are extremely tolerant of Davison’s work.

His garage is filled with tools and equipment, cans of sealant and varnish, and a John Wayne poster.

“I started working with wood when I was about 20,” Davison said. What started as small projects for friends turned into a full-blown obsession.

Davison made the family’s furniture after he married his wife; eventually, that set was given to family members, and he built an even more spectacular suite of pieces.

“One day I bought a lathe,” Davison said. He outgrew it within six months; his fascination with woodturning was immediate and incurable.

“There are woods out there that I haven’t turned yet,” Davison said.

“Not many, but they’re out there. About twice a year I get one; sometimes I can’t identify it.”

He now has two lathes; one weighs about 900 pounds, and sits in the back of Davison’s garage, surrounded by sawdust and wood shavings. At the end of the workday, the shavings can be as high as Davison’s chest, he said.

Davison’s other, smaller lathe accompanied him to the Sawdust Art Festival, where he works on more diminutive bowls and pens while he’s exhibiting.

“I’m really drawing quite a crowd,” Davison said.

His booth is in a cave-like corner of the grounds, under the main stage; Davison sets his wooden wares on the booth’s earthen walls, and they appear utterly natural in the space.

Aromatic camphorwood became an unexpected form of advertising for Davison at the festival; visitors and exhibitors alike have been drawn to his booth while he’s turned the wood.

Visitors have used its shavings for potpourri; exhibitors use it to cushion their glasswork.

“Ninety-eight percent of people say they’ve never seen anything like my natural edge bowls before,” Davison said.

Many woodturners who have visited his booth or website say the same thing.

“I want to do this for the rest of my life,” Davison said.

For more information on Davison, call (714) 357-9138 or visit woodturningobsession.com. To learn about the Sawdust Art Festival’s Winter Fantasy, call (949) 494-3030 or visit sawdustartfestival.org.

CANDICE BAKER can be reached at (714) 966-4631 or at candice.baker@latimes.com.