Amazing wood art. A hooded figure takes a break at an inn. Just Off The Road, Basswood, Randy Stoner.
Today I moseyed around Del Mar and Solana Beach. My walk included a couple of stimulating hours at the San Diego County Fair. I just wandered about, soaking it all in, and found my feet heading toward my favorite part of the fair, the Design in Wood Exhibition.
Some of the best wood artists in Southern California–the world, for that matter–submitted their incredible pieces this year to be judged. The exhibition, a collaboration with the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association, is celebrating its 35th year.
Here is some of the wildly creative woodwork that really caught my eye. You’ll notice many pieces have an Alice in Wonderland theme. That’s because this year’s San Diego County Fair is all about that timeless children’s book penned by Lewis Carroll. White Rabbits, March Hares and Mad Hatters abound! Everywhere you turn there’s a tea party or a grinning Cheshire Cat!
The Alice in Wonderland theme intersects with Steampunk, of course, so many fantastic contraptions and quirky bits of wood art are included in the exhibition. Take a look!
Glass table supported by fantastic underwater character carved from wood. Califa’s Realm, Avocado, Lorenzo Foncerrada.A steampunk writer might enjoy creating new worlds while sitting here! Time Machine Desk, Recycled Pine and Plywood, Jeffrey Comulada.Yikes! Get out of the way! This eye-catching contraption is just too cool. Scorpion Wheelchair, Pine, Roger Aceve.A truly amazing fantasy woodcarving. Julia the Dragon Killer, Bass, Antonio Barrios.Ancient warrior and an incredibly elaborate helmet made of wood. Dracon Soldier, Bass, Antonio Barrios.More outstanding artistry. Heron in a scene from a San Diego lagoon. Spirit of San Elijo, Torrey Pine, Lorenzo Foncerrada.Wood grains flow in this crazy organic bench. Ongoing Conversation, Baltic Birch, Alan Johnson.A very cool tangle-tentacled wooden octopus. Denizen of the Deep, Maple, Tom Edwards.Perhaps this is a wood version of Strider from Lord of the Rings. Ranger, Basswood, Randy Stoner.A mountain lion carved from wood keeps guard among other spectacular works of art. Kitty Kitty, Mahogany, Bill Churchill.This skeleton pirate with a brass steampunk telescope is beyond awesome. Mutiny, Bloodwood Fir, Mike Anderson.Two very cool handmade guitars with an Alice in Wonderland theme. I see clocks, the White Rabbit, a mad tea party, even a mustache!I love this example of imaginative wood design. Jack Rabbit, Alder, Ray Camien.Members of the San Diego Scrollsaw Clubs demonstrate their craft to people visiting the Design in Wood Exhibition at the San Diego County Fair.A wonderfully inventive piece of furniture. Birdcage Chair, White Oak, Patrick Atangan.Looks like an animal skull in the desert Southwest. Early, Early American Chair, Poplar, Del Cover.This might be the most intricate model tall ship I ever saw. Sovereign of the Seas, Boxwood, Mahogany, Ebony, Sycamore, William Norris.When a person becomes old, there’s no need to become dull. Two Canes, Various, Tracy Talbott.A fun chest of drawers perfect for a kid’s room. Buddy Bear, Walnut, Ralph Crowther.I wonder if Lewis Carroll imagined there would be steampunk powerboats one day. Looking For Alice, Various, Michael Rumsey.I love the cosmic layered wood sky with Saturn behind buildings. Night Surfing, Hardwood Plywood, Robert Stafford.Gears aplenty. Steampunk Cat, Various, Stephen Knight.Now this work of wood art totally blew my mind. Absolutely beautiful. Stormy, Various, Chuck Collins.Yeah, some days this pensive chimp could easily outwit me. Thinking, Various, Daryoush Ababaf.
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Downtown San Diego has been my home for many years. My online activities reflect my love for writing, blogging, walking and photography.
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21 thoughts on “Amazing photos: Fantastic, incredible wood art!”
Wow this is very creative, thanks for the photos, Richard! I spent time in LA Jolla, beautiful area. ☺ Blessings
These are epic! I linked this over at Scribblers’ Den. I’m sure you’ll pick up a couple of new followers after they see this. Wonderful eye you have, sir!
I’ve been browsing online more than 4 hours today,
yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth
enough for me. In my view, if all webmasters and bloggers
made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot
more useful than ever before.
That’s a very kind thing to say, and I agree with your observations generally. There’s a lot of shallow junk produced just to generate constant new content, to increase followers, to boost egos or online money-making. I suppose it kind of reflects how many people are in the “real” world. Good stuff takes time, effort and passion. And the competition on the internet seems to increase exponentially, making people produce more and more stuff (think tweets) faster and faster merely to get noticed. And all this crazy content creation by everyone ends up reducing the odds of anyone being noticed! Again, thanks for the nice words! I’m glad you stopped by and made a really great comment!
Is that time machine art desk practical? I once found it on ebay worth $10,000 and later linked it back to fallbrook furniture (Jeff Comulada) but it was sometime discontinued. and now I found it on esty which is a rare find. I wonder if it works.
Cool San Diego Sights! 
Wow this is very creative, thanks for the photos, Richard! I spent time in LA Jolla, beautiful area. ☺ Blessings
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Just fabulous! I just couldn’t choose a favourite there were so many.
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These are epic! I linked this over at Scribblers’ Den. I’m sure you’ll pick up a couple of new followers after they see this. Wonderful eye you have, sir!
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Cool! Next blog post has more Alice/Steampunk stuff at the fair! I’m selecting my photos now! You gotta go this year! It’s great!
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Fantastic art, and photos of the exhibit!
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Beautiful pieces!
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They were pretty amazing!
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Wonderful workmanship – and so well photographed! Des.
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Thanks! I just take lots of photos and select the best ones!
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Wonderful photos and beautiful exhibits!
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It was a lot of fun looking at the amazing artwork!
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Wow, amazing carvings! The scorpion one looks creepy. I love the one with the Priate though, and the steam punk cat is fun 🙂
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I wouldn’t want to be pursued by someone riding that scorpion!
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LOL no, me neither 🙂
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This is such beautiful work! Thanks for sharing!
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Sure thing!
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I’ve been browsing online more than 4 hours today,
yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth
enough for me. In my view, if all webmasters and bloggers
made good content as you did, the internet will be a lot
more useful than ever before.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a very kind thing to say, and I agree with your observations generally. There’s a lot of shallow junk produced just to generate constant new content, to increase followers, to boost egos or online money-making. I suppose it kind of reflects how many people are in the “real” world. Good stuff takes time, effort and passion. And the competition on the internet seems to increase exponentially, making people produce more and more stuff (think tweets) faster and faster merely to get noticed. And all this crazy content creation by everyone ends up reducing the odds of anyone being noticed! Again, thanks for the nice words! I’m glad you stopped by and made a really great comment!
LikeLike
Is that time machine art desk practical? I once found it on ebay worth $10,000 and later linked it back to fallbrook furniture (Jeff Comulada) but it was sometime discontinued. and now I found it on esty which is a rare find. I wonder if it works.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have no idea! It looks sort of narrow. But at least you can sit at it and move forward through time…
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