About
Rob Wallace, Woodturner
Rob Wallace holds a Ph.D. in Botany from Rutgers University (New Jersey), and is a biology professor at Iowa State University where he teaches courses in biological evolution, the evolution and phylogeny of plants, plant taxonomy and systematics, economic botany, and organismal diversity. He has been a woodworker since before his teen years, and enjoys all aspects of woodworking, especially woodturning. He is an active member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW), and was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the AAW, serving a term on the Board from 2013-2016. He has served on several committees of the AAW, including the Symposium Committee, the Bylaws Re-Write Committee, the Safety Committee, and the Woodturning Fundamentals Committee, as well as serving on the AAW's auction crew as an auctioneer. Locally, he has been a club member and officer of the Ames Woodworkers Club (Iowa) for over 25 years. He has been coordinating the local group of woodturning enthusiasts since 2005, and in 2011 the 'Ames Area Woodturners' was chartered as an official chapter of the American Association of Woodturners. He has presented demonstrations on a wide range of woodturning and woodworking topics to regional and national groups, including both live and virtual versions of the annual Woodturning Symposium of the AAW. Wallace also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames, Iowa and has served several terms as President of the Board. He is a member of the Ames Community Arts Council, and serves on Iowa State University’s Museums Advisory Committee. He participates annually in local arts events, often participating by doing live demonstrations of woodturning at various places including the Octagon's Art Festival, the Ames ArtWalk, and for various community and educational groups. Recently he has provided virtual interactive remote demonstrations on woodturning and other topics to woodturning groups in different locations throughout the country.
His artwork has been displayed at several venues throughout Iowa, including the Iowa State Fair annual juried Fine Art Exhibition and at juried art exhibits at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, the MacNider Art Museum (Mason City), the Octagon Center for the Arts (Ames), the Blanden Memorial Art Museum (Fort Dodge), and at the Orange City Arts Council show. He sells his artwork by consignment at the Octagon Gallery Shop (Ames), the Cedar Rapids Musum of Art Shop, The MacNider Art Musum (Mason City), and at the Iowa Artisans Gallery (Iowa City), as well as at other art venues. He can be contacted to arrange to produce commissioned artwork or to provide woodturning services for making replacement furniture or architectural parts.
Artist Statement
Rob Wallace, Woodturner
"The natural beauty of wood can be celebrated and accentuated together with aspects of symmetry and form in well-designed turned wooden pieces. My excitement and fascination with wooden bowls, vessels, and hollow forms created on the wood lathe enables me to rise to the challenge of producing a form that will best display the native figure and color of the wood, in addition to creating a piece that is both pleasing and satisfying to the eye with respect to the form's shape and proportions. All of these factors interact dynamically as wood is removed in the process of turning to reveal the natural characteristics of this medium, which are universally appealing. The opportunity to expose grain patterns, subtle color or texture differences, and unique features of the wood is an endless source of inspiration that allows for "instantaneous creativity" and immediate gratification for the artist, as the spinning form develops on the lathe. With the development of each piece, the mystery of what lies beneath the bark is revealed, and the ability to share this beauty with others in the pieces I create is a source of personal pleasure and pride."
Organizations and Affiliations
I am a member of the following organizations:
American Association of Woodturners (AAW)
Ames Area Woodturners
Des Moines Woodturners Association
Ames Community Arts Council
Octagon Center for the Arts
Honors and Awards
[List forthcoming]
Social Media
Facebook - I am active on several Facebook groups that are related to woodturning. I serve as one of the administrators for the “Iowa Artists” and “Iowa Artists Marketplace” groups, and am a moderator of the “Robust Lathe Family” group.
Instagram - Many of the woodturned pieces included on my Instagram profile are also shown in the galleries on this web site.
