R o b e r t M a n n i n g
Artist
Radiata Fraxinus was recently exhibited at John Wayne Airport in Costa Mesa, CAJuried Exhibitions2011 Orange County Woodworking Exhibition, Costa Mesa, California2011 More Than Fair, John Wayne Airport, Orange County, California, May-October link2011 Through the Woods, Around the Block, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana2010 Orange County Woodworking Exhibition, Costa Mesa, California
2010 Maple Medley- An Acer Showcase, Hartford, Connecticut & St. Paul, Minnesota
2010 29th annual International Design in Wood Exhibition, Del Mar, California
2010 Against the Grain - Woodworkers of California, Cypress, California
2009 Orange County Woodworking Exhibition, Costa Mesa, California
2009 28th annual International Design in Wood Exhibition,Del Mar, California
2008 California Contours, San Luis Obispo Art Center, San Luis Obispo, California
2008 27th annual International Design in Wood Exhibition,Del Mar, California
Awards
2011 Marinara, First place, Master's Division, Orange County Woodworking Exhibition
2011 New Growth, Second place, Master's Division, Orange County Woodworking Exhibition
2011 Pearl Moon, First place, American Association of Woodturners, Bleached Wood Contest
2010 The King's Road, Second place, American Association of Woodturners, Segmented Contest
2010 Indian Summer, First Place and Juror's Choice Award, Master's Division, Orange County Woodworking Exhibition
2010 Radiata Fraxinus won three awards in the Master's Division including the purchase award, Orange County Woodworking Exhibition
2010 Ivory Improv won an award in the Master's Division, Orange County Woodworking Exhibition
2010 Blonde Ambition, Second Place, Design in Wood Exhibition
2010 Octopian sculpture won an award, Design in Wood Exhibition
2009 Ocelot kayak won two Master's Division awards including Juror's Choice from
independent curator and writer Kevin Wallace, Orange County Woodworking Exhibition
2009 Burgundy Palace won a segmented woodturning award, Design in WoodExhibition
2009 Radiata Fraxinus won a segmented woodturning award, Design in WoodExhibition
2009 Burgundy Crescendo won a segmented woodturning award, Design in WoodExhibition
2008 Ocelot kayak, First Place, Design in Wood
2008 Cheetah kayak, Summer of Sports Theme Award, Design in Wood Exhibition
2008 Cheetah kayak, Honorable Mention, Design in WoodExhibition
Collections
Orange County, California, Permanent Collection
The Lefebvre Trust
Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation
The BrownTrust
Private Collections
Publications
2011
"2011 OC Fair Woodworking Catalog" available for purchase here
full color photos of Marinara on front cover and in master woodworker section
"Woodworker West", September-October, 2011, page 13,
full color photo of Marinara
"American Woodturner", June 2011, page 16, Pearl Moon, First Place, Bleached wood contest,
full color photo
2010
"2010 OC Fair Woodworking Catalog" available for purchase here
full color photo of Indian Summer in master woodworker section
"American Woodturner," December 2010, page 8
King's Road, second place, segmented contest
,
"Woodworker West," September-October, 2010, page 21
full color photo of Indian Summer
"Maple Medley-An Acer Showcase," Exhibition Catalog, 2010, Page 36
two full color photos of Desert Flower
"Woodworker West," July-August, 2010, page 21
award listing Blonde Ambition
"Woodworker West," May-June, 2010, page 20
full color photo of Desert Flower
2009
American Association of Woodturners , Sept, 9, 2009
Eight Cubed was selected as Photo of the Day
2008
Fine Woodworking.com, 2008, "Design in Wood Winner"
full color photo of Cheetah kayak
"Woodworker West," July-August 2008, page 16
full color photo of Cheetah kayak
2006
"The Mariner Magazine," Issue #40, May 2006, pages 12-13
centerfold article with b&w photos of Cheetah kayak
Robert Manning hollows a camphor log in his darkened studio with a small lamp
inside the spinning form. The light transmitted through the thin wood indicates the
vessel's wall thickness by its degree of translucence.
The Artist
Robert Manning communicates visually through a world of texture and space centered around the wood that has attracted him since age five when his grandfather built him his first set of sawhorses. A native Californian, Robert was initially attracted to woodworking, photography, graphic arts, metalworking, and ceramics. Exploration of these media as a young man helped him develop the sweeping sense of line and contrast that are now seen in his turned and sculptural wood creations. During the early 1980s, an enduring interest in blue water sailing and the newly minted sport of windsurfing prompted him to experiment with surface flight (the dynamic interaction between sailboard, wind, and water), and resulted in the creation of an innovative series of windsurfers that he manufactured along with custom mahogany and spruce water skis in his fathers workshop.
Creative projects wedged themselves into the rare openings in his career as a designer/builder serving clients in Brentwood, Beverly Hills, and the California mountain resort communities,
He eventually refocused his attention upon fine art specifically fine wood art. Robert currently divides his time between designing and building museum-quality wood kayaks, designing and turning exotic segmented and organic wood bowls for discriminating collectors, and creating multimedia sculptures.
Since adding creative woodturning to his palette, Robert has been juried into many major national and international exhibitions. His first foray into the world of international juried art featured his custom wood kayaks, which wonthree awards at the prestigious 2008 Design In Wood exhibition. Thisjuried competitionalso featured his turned art for the first time. Roberts woodturnings can be found in an expanding array of collections.
Robert lives in his studio in southern California. Visitors are welcome.
Robert can be reached by e-mail at:californiawoodartist
