AAW forum spotlights David Bushman’s vessel Glymur at symposium

David Bushman’s vessel Glymur rose out of a crowded AAW symposium field to earn Turning of the Week on the AAW Forum, and it did so on form as much as finish. Jaramiah Severns singled out the piece for its icy blue textured waterfalls against deep black ebonized oak, then pointed to the voluminous hollow form and elegant recurve of the legs as the details that made it linger in memory.

The recognition landed just after the 2026 American Association of Woodturners International Woodturning Symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the organization said it brought together nearly 100 vendors, more than 85 demos and panels, community activities, and more than 1,000 pieces of artwork in the instant gallery. AAW describes the symposium as the biggest woodturning event in the world, and that scale mattered here: Glymur was not merely seen, it was measured against a flood of high-level work and still stood out.

Severns said the symposium itself was memorable because it offered the chance to catch up with old friends, meet forum members in person, attend strong demos, and wander through the instant gallery. In that setting, Glymur drew praise for combining style, technique, and surprise. The legs were not treated as a decorative add-on, but as a defining part of the silhouette, enough to alter the visual character of the vessel and, Severns said, inspire him to try something similar.

The response beneath the post reinforced that reaction. Members called the piece a fantastic choice and said it rose to the top of Bushman’s output for them, a strong reminder that the forum rewards not only technical difficulty but also confident form, finish, and presentation. The instant gallery gave the piece a public stage, and the forum amplified it into a shared reference point for turners looking for fresh ideas.

Bushman’s work already had a visible track record inside AAW’s member gallery, with Victory Vase added July 12, 2023, Spalted Beech Footed Vessel on Oct. 12, 2023, Augusta on Apr. 5, 2025, and Pedestal Vessel on Dec. 18, 2025. His artist statement at Crossroads Art Center says he began woodturning in 2012 after watching a PBS program featuring Dale Chihuly and the Moulthrop family, and that he later acquired a Robust Liberty lathe after David Ellsworth was retooling his school and selling equipment. Richmond Woodturners described him in a November 2024 newsletter as a seasoned, experienced, and accomplished turner and demonstrator.

That background helps explain why Glymur resonated so quickly after the symposium. In a gallery packed with more than 1,000 pieces, it was the vessel with the ice-blue surface, black oak contrast, and sculpted legs that the forum kept coming back to.