ANDREJ (ANDREW) POTOČNIK

This sculptor and creator of wooden artworks is developing his own style. His excellent technical knowledge and management of the material allows him to create works that possess numerous symbolic meanings. Potočnik’s art reveals beginnings, developments,  and new births, squirming from their wrappers and rolling away like small beads. In different practical forms – three bowls – he also completes the forms with ornamentation.

Alenka Černelič Krošelj, Lecturer of Art History, Ethnologist and Cultural Anthropologist

Andrew was born in Melbourne.

“For as long as I can remember I have been interested in wood, but was encouraged to explore its potential while at secondary school. It was during this time that I found myself attracted to the lathe – to explore many forms in a relatively short time and to transform small interesting pieces of wood into objects that highlighted the timber’s natural beauty.

Qualifications
BEd (Art & Craft), Melbourne College of Advanced Education

While studying to be a teacher I was exposed to new ideas, materials and techniques and gathered information from specialists in their fields. I had the time and the facilities to develop new ideas and skills. Woodturning captured my imagination and eventually became my specialty.

Occupation
Teaching secondary students and adults woodwork & woodturning

Once I moved into full-time secondary school teaching, I continued to develop my own work and style. I also began to exhibit, entering competitions and selling to shops, galleries and collectors. I also teach woodturning to adult classes and demonstrate to clubs and the general public. Contact me for further details.

Woodturning is now my passion. I continue to push myself to improve the quality of my work and to develop new and innovative designs.

It wasn’t always the best choice, but it was a material I felt comfortable with, and one

that I could convert into whatever I needed.

At high school, I met a teacher who encouraged creative use of wood, setting convention

aside in order to encourage aspects that were radical at that time. He encouraged me to

salvage and recycle wood, and even worse, he taught me to appreciate wood for its

color, smell, feel, grain and any other intrinsic quality it may have.

With an introduction like this, where else could I go, but continue to explore all those

wonderful qualities every piece of wood conceals, just needing a sympathetic cut to

expose it to those who see it as nothing more than a renewable resource, ready to be

exploited, rather than appreciated!

Now, I gain enormous enjoyment from seeing how people from other cultures explore

their wood, how they expose and celebrate its beauty, and how it’s integrated into their

culture and general existence.

As an artist, I continually find inspiration to explore new directions in creating objects

from wood.

As a teacher, I try to pass information on to my students, hoping that they too will be

inspired to explore wood. Celebrating it as a living material that grows around us, as a

material that can give voice to ideas conjured in our minds, as a material that says

something about our culture and world”.

Exhibitions:

2008 DysFUNctional, Woodturning Center, Philadelphia, U.S.A.

2007 Pacific Connections, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

2007 Darebin-La Trobe Acquisitive Art Prize finalist, Melbourne, Australia

2006 Connections: Contemporary Australian Wood Artists, Embassy of Australia,

Washington D.C., U.S.A.

2005 Small Treasures, del Mano gallery, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

2004 allTURNatives – Form + Spirit, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, U.S.A

2003 Turned Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

2003 Darebin-La Trobe Acquisitive Art Prize finalist, Melbourne, Australia

2003 Living with Wood, Prahran, Victoria, Australia

2002 Colour and Form, Ivanhoe, Victoria, Australia

2001 Darebin-La Trobe Acquisitive Art Prize finalist, Melbourne, Australia

2000 Turned Wood: Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, U.S.A.

2000 RARE, Fremantle Arts Centre, W.A., Australia

2000 Contemporary Australian wood turning and carving, Beaver Galleries, A.C.T.,

Australia

1999 Selected works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles. U.S.A.

1998 Turned Wood: Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, U.S.A

Publications:

The Art of Turned Bowls, Richard Raffan, Taunton Press, Inc, 2008

Woodturning Tips & Techniques, Carol Rix, Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd,

East Sussex, 2006

Connections: International Woodturning Exchange 1995 – 2005, Wood Turning Center,

Philadelphia, 2005

HI TECH Wood Projects Stage 5, Heinemann Harcourt Education, 2005

500 Wood Bowls, Katherine Duncan Aimone, Lark Books, New York, 2004

400 Wood Boxes, Veronika Alice Gunther, Lark Books, New York, 2004

Sacred Vessels, The National Jewish Centre for Learning and Leadership, New York,

2003

Woodturning Design, Mike Darlow, The Meleluka Press, Australia, 2003

Australian Woodturning – The Best of Australian Wood Review, Interwood Holdings Pty.

Ltd, 2002

Contemporary Turned Wood – New perspectives in a rich tradition, Leier, Peters,

Wallace, Handbooks Press, 1999

Woodturning magazine (U.K.), Issue No. 74, April 1999

Turning Boxes with Richard Raffan, Richard Raffan, Taunton Press, Conn., U.S.A. 1998

Expressions in Wood – Masterworks from the Wornick Collection, University of

Washington Press, 1997

Fine Woodworking Design Book 7, Taunton Press, Conn., U.S.A., 1996 pp. 158, 162

Wood Dreaming, Terry Martin, Harper Collins Publishers, Aust, 1996

Australian Wood Review, Issue 10, March, 1996

Woodturning magazine (U.K.), Issue No 34, July/August, 1995

Australian Wood Review, Issue 2, May, 1993

Woodturning magazine (U.K.), Issue No 12, Jan/Feb, 1993

I am a regular writer for Australian Wood Review, contributing product evaluations,

exhibition reviews and instructional articles to every edition for the last seven years.

Museum and Permanent Collections:

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Contemporary Museum of Hawaii

Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Wisconsin, U.S.A.

Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Texas State Bank Corporate Collection, McAllen, Texas, U.S.A.

Mr. Glen E. Roney, C.E.O. Texas State Bank, Texas, U.S.A.

Mr.David Ellesworth, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Dr. Irving Lipton, Van Nuys, California, U.S.A.

Mr. Ronald C. Wornick, Burlingame, California, U.S.A.

Mrs. Fleur Bressler, Maryland, U.S.A.

Mr. Tim & Mrs. Cheryl Kotchman, Maryland, U.S.A.

Mr. Bruce Kaiser, Delaware, U.S.A.

Mr. Joseph Seltzer, Philadelphia, U.S.A.

Mrs. Lorraine Elliot, M.L.A., Melbourne, Australia

Susan Feiner, New York, New York, U.S.A.

Ruth Greenburg, California, US.A.

Frank Abagnale, Author of the bestselling book ‘Catch Me If You Can’

Various other collectors both in Australia and abroad

Scholarships/Awards:

2004 International Turners Exchange, Philadelphia, U.S.A

2003 American Association of Woodturners Educational Opportunity Grant to attend

Collaboratio, NZ, Whangerei, N.Z.

2001 CollaboratioNZ, Whangerei, N.Z., sponsored resource artist

2000 Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Study tour to China

Commissions:

2005 Southern Districts Hebrew Congregation, Torah Scroll

2000 Banyule City Council, ‘Young Artists Awards’ trophies

2000 Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School, crucifix for reception area.

1999 Banyule City Council, ‘Young Artists Awards’ trophies

1999 Luther College, Croydon, design and creation of outdoor sculpture.

1999 Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School, crucifix and candleholders for altar.

1998 City of Melbourne and Arts Victoria, ‘Arts and Cultural Leadership Awards’

trophies.

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Contemporary Museum of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Irving Lipton Collection, Van Nuys, CA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Texas State Bank Corporate Collection, McAllen, TX
Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Wustum, WI
Ronald Wornick Collection, Burlingame, CA
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2007        Pacific Connections, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2006        Connections: International Turning Exchange, 1995-2005, Fort Wayne
Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana
2005        Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, New York, del Mano Gallery,
Los Angeles, CA
Turned Wood-Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2004        allTURNatives-Form + Spirit, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, USA
2002-03    Turned Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2000        Rare, Frementle Arts Centre, Frementle, Western Australia
1999        Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1998-99        Turned Wood – Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1998        Turned Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2005        HI TECH Wood Projects Stage 5, Heinemann Harcourt Education
2004        Art Monthly Magazine, Australia, Issue No 174, October
Katherine Duncan Aimone, 500 Wood Bowls, Lark Books, New York
Veronika Alice Gunther, 400 Wood Boxes, Lark Books, New York
2003        Sacred Vessels, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, New York
Mike Darlow, Woodturning Design, The Meleka Press, Australia
2002        Australian Woodturning- The Best of Australian Wood Review,
Interwood Holdings Pty. Ltd
1999        Leier, Peters, Wallace, Contemporary Turned Wood – New Perspectives
in a Rich Tradition, Handbooks Press
Woodturning Magazine, UK, Issue No. 74, April
1998        Richard Raffan, Turning Boxes with Richard Raffan, Taunton Press
1997        Expressions in Wood – Masterworks from the Wornick Collection,
University of Washington Press
1996        Fine Woodworking Design Book 7, Taunton Press
Terry Martin, Wood Dreaming, Harper Collins Publishers, Australia
Australian Wood Review, Issue 10, March
1995        Woodturning Magazine, UK, Issue No 12, Jan/Feb
1993        Australian Wood Review, Issue No 2, May
Woodturning Magazine, UK, Issue No 12, Jan/Feb

 

Web page:

 

http://pinpointartists.com.au/profile/userprofile/Andrew%20Potocnik

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