Bob Stocksdale | |
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| Born | Robert Stocksdale 1913 Warren, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 2003 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Woodturner |
| Spouse | Kay Sekimachi (m. 1972–2003, death) |
Bob Stocksdale (1913 – January 6, 2003)[1][2] was an Americanwoodturner, known for his bowls formed from rare and exotic woods. He was raised on his family farm[2] and enjoyed working with tools. His wife of more than 30 years,Kay Sekimachi, stated that, "His grandfather gave him a pocketknife, and he started to whittle. That's how it started."[2]
According to anoral history he recorded at theUniversity of CaliforniaBancroft Library, Stocksdale powered his firstlathe with a surplusMaytag gasoline washing machine motor. He turnedbaseball bats and spindles among early projects. After graduating from high school, he worked in a factory making wooden paddles used by cracker bakers. Later he worked in a factory that madecedar chests. His job was to assemble the chests from the pre-cut wooden pieces.[3]
He was drafted into the Army in 1942. Like two of his three brothers, he claimedconscientious objector (CO) status duringWorld War II because he believed war never solved anything. He spent World War II in several CO camps[1][2] doing forestry work. It was at a camp inMichigan where Stocksdale turned his first bowl on a lathe.[1][2] This brought him to the West. He was encouraged in hiswoodturning efforts by Helen Winnemore, the owner of a crafts gallery inColumbus, Ohio.[4]
After the war, Stocksdale moved toBerkeley, California in 1946, one year afterGump's inSan Francisco began showing his work. Stocksdale was one of the earliest members of theArts and Crafts Cooperative, Inc. (ACCI) on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, California. His first solo exhibition followed in 1958 at theLong Beach Museum of Art.[2] He bought a Victorianduplex inSouth Berkeley, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. He put together a shop of modest tools in his basement, and there turned out work (an average of 200 turned wood bowls per year, alone, not to mention other objet d'art) for more than 50 years[2] that gradually earned him acclaim and fame as a woodturner. He was a friend, and sometime collaborator, ofSam Maloof.[2]
Stocksdale died on the January 6, 2003, atKaiser Oakland Medical Center in Oakland, California from complications ofprostate cancer. He was 89. He was survived by second wife,Kay Sekimachi, a famous weaver and craft artist;[5] a daughter, Joy, a noted fabric designer,[6] ofSebastopol, California; a son, Kim, ofLos Angeles; and a sister-in-law, Marge Stocksdale ofHuntington, Indiana.[2]
His work was included in the American exhibit of the1958 Brussels World’s Fair and has been recognized internationally for fine design and workmanship. His many honors include theAmerican Association of Woodturners Lifetime Achievement Award (1998) and the Masters of the Medium Award, James Renwick Alliance (2003). Stocksdale received the American Craft Council’s Gold Medal in 1995.[7]
Stocksdale's bowls are prized by collectors. They have been shown in Europe and Japan, and they appear in the permanent collections of theSmithsonian American Art Museum, theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York,[8] theOakland Museum,[2]Philadelphia Museum of Art and theRoyal Scottish Museum inEdinburgh, Scotland.[1]
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