Na La’au o Hawai’i: Hawaii’s Woodshow 2008

You probably missed it – the 16th Annual Juried Woodworking Exhibition that opened a three-day run today at the Hawaii Convention Center. And if you did, you’d better just mark your 2009 calendars the first chance you get and make sure you don’t miss next year’s show.

Sponsored annually by the Hawai’I Forest Industry Association, the show features many of the state’s outstanding wood artists, whose work is juried by three judges.

The “Best in Show” Award was won by R.W. Scheurenbrand for his “Arch-Top Guitar” (see the first picture); I checked my program for his asking price, but it’s not for sale.

Here are a few more pieces to covet:

The 105 displayed works, of course, are for sale. But unless you’ve got a hefty checkbook, don’t even dream of owning one of the more expensive pieces. Prices ranged from $50 for a pen set to $50,000 for a piece called “Waiomina” by Robert Holden.

The vision of the artists, their creativity, their knowledge of wood, and their talent in realizing the medium’s full potential is simply awe-inspiring. I walked around snapping picture after picture, wishing that I owned some of the pieces.