West Ashley wood-turner Ashley Harwood was told in college at Carnegie Mellon University to give up the art of glassblowing, that she was too smart for an endeavor deemed by the art scene as too “crafty.”
But that’s not what turned her to turning wood. Her dad wanted to take a class with her, so she did, and was hooked immediately five years ago. Soon came an internship with a noted international wood-turner, and she’s been on her own ever since.
Now, she exhibits her wares at local farmer’s markets, and trots the world putting on demonstrations. Harwood sells everything from gorgeous burled bowls and delicate tree ornaments to jewelry and bedposts.
Harwood, who told her parents at age 5 in suburban Atlanta that she wanted to be an artist when she grew up, has always approached art in three dimensions, and so woodturning had an immediate appeal.
At Carnegie Mellon, she had worked with every kind of medium, including Saran wrap, in constructing art installations. Now, in Charleston she has focused on finding the piece of art hidden inside a log.
Driving down Savannah Highway a few years ago, she spied a hardwood Live Oak that used to stand at the entrance to Byrnes Down neighborhood. It was being de-limbed by city workers and the wood was one of her favorites to work with.
She left a note asking she be given a crack at it, as all of her wood is salvaged.
“My home was closer than the dump, so they dropped it off here,” she said of her Parkwood Estates abode, which has a detached garage in the back that doubles as her studio. Now the bowl she made form it can be seen on her website, www.ashleyharwood.net.
Now, she and her boyfriend, who owns the Charleston Crepe Company, have teamed together in a joint venture. They provide a stacked crepe-cake set upon a cake stand she’s turned, which can then become a family heirloom after the dessert is consumed. — Bill Davis
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