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Earthwood, 2017 | Georgianne Jackofsky, New York and Mike Jackofsky, California

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Earthwood, 2017 | Georgianne Jackofsky, New York and Mike Jackofsky, California
Maple, ink | 4.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 om/11.4 x 13.9 x 13.9 cm

This piece is a collaboration between woodturner Mike Jackofsky and his sister-in-law, pyrographic artist Georgianne Jackofsky. The vessel was turned, and then hollowed through the small opening at the top. The surface design is a combination of burning, texturing, and color application.

About the Artists:
Georgianne Jackofsky is a freelance illustrator from New York. She attended New York Institute of Technology, majoring in Art with a concentration in Advertising Design, and subsequently worked in the graphic art field for over 25 years. Georgianne's quest for artistic freedom would eventually lead her to become a freelance artist specializing in layout and design as well as pen and ink illustration. Her work has appeared in books, magazines, newspapers, media packaging, and a line of greeting cards.
For the past several years, Georgianne has been transferring her creative ideas and illustration techniques to the art of pyrography, burning designs on wood, and in 2013, she began collaborating with her brother-in-law, Mike Jackofsky, a professional woodturner known for his hollow vessels.
“My original major was math, so I've always been drawn to the beauty of geometric shapes. They have their own emotional force and, for me, became the perfect vehicle to explore and express my creative ideas. I'm particularly influenced by the designs on ancient bowls, cave walls, textiles, medieval manuscripts, and, most notably, maps.
I don't sketch my ideas out in advance, nor measure or use a straight edge or ruler, but freehand "draw" each design letting the shape and grain of each piece of wood influence the design. Often, when I start, I have no idea where I'll end up; each piece is a unique journey.”
When not traveling around the countryside performing with her acoustic American roots music band, the “Homegrown String Band”, Georgianne creates her art in the seaside community of Rocky Point, NY.

About the Artist:
Mike Jackofsky is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of San Diego School of Law, and about 10 years ago, he gave up the practice of law to become a full time, professional woodturner. Over the years Mike has specialized in making hollow vessels, most of which are natural edge pieces made from unique burls, but he also turns bowls, including thin, natural edge open bowls, off-balance asymmetrical pieces, and sculptural forms.
Mike has been teaching and demonstrating for many years and he has been a presenter at the AAW Symposium, the Utah Woodturning Symposium, the SWAT Symposium, and has also participated a number of times in the Emma Lake Collaboration in Canada. His work has been selected for the AAW exhibitions “Put a Lid On It” in 2003, “Spirit of the Southwest” in 2009, “Maple Medley” in 2010, and “Roots” in 2011.
Mike’s work is in many private collections and is on display in the permanent collections of the Sam Maloof Historical Residence Museum in Alta Loma, CA, the Mingei International Museum in San Diego, CA, and the AAW in Minneapolis, MN. He has designed a line of hollowing tools called “Hollow-Pro” that use carbide cutters, and he recently produced a 2 disc DVD set called “Woodturning with Mike Jackofsky: Making A Hollow Vessel”.
“One of the main reasons I originally decided to get into woodturning was because I really enjoy the unique nature of burls, and I felt that making hollow vessels was a great way to take advantage of that type of material. I only use hand-held tools and that enables me to experience the “feel” of working with the wood and the sense of freedom that allows.”
“I actually consider myself to be more of a “hollower” than a general woodturner, since that is how I spend the vast majority of my time at the lathe. I don’t have a “formula” for creating a piece and one of the most challenging aspects of working with burls, is finding a balance between taking advantage of the unique features of the material, without letting it totally dictate what you make”.
Mike has been greatly influenced by his close friendship with furniture maker/ designer Sam Maloof. “Sam was a constant reminder that it is all about shape/form in creating a “pleasing” object. Sam really cared about his work and I developed a real admiration and appreciation for the pride he had in everything he made, and that always showed up in his attention to detail that is evident in all of his pieces”
“One of my best memories about Sam is the day that I told him that I had actually given up practicing law to go into woodturning full time. He looked at me and shook his head, and said: “Mike, I think something is wrong with you………... I think you have sawdust between your ears!” And he said it with a huge grin on his face”.