About Bill and Edith Wiard

Bill Wiard

Bill was born in rural southern Michigan in 1937. He was introduced to wood and woodworking at the age of eight when he became a member of a 4H club woodworking group. Shortly after, he developed an interest in objects that had been turned on a wood lathe and as luck would have it, his father had retained a wood lathe that his grandfather had made in the 1890s so he was able to work on projects any time at home. This interest continued into high school and college where he completed a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Arts Education as well as receiving an Army Officer commission through the ROTC Program at Eastern Michigan University.

Upon graduation he immediately entered the Army where he remained for twenty years until retirement in 1981. During this period he saw service in Korea, Germany, two tours in Vietnam as well as many areas around the United States. He received a Master of Education Degree from the College of William and Mary while living in Virginia. He was able to maintain some involvement with woodworking through craft shop facilities on Army installations.

In 1985 he began a second career as faculty member at Calumet High School where he was the Senior Army Instructor in the Junior ROTC Program until his retirement from there in 1997.

During the summer of 1985 he participated in an intensive woodturning instruction program from a master wood turner in Vermont. He also purchased a modern lathe that afforded much more versatility.

The main source of wood for bowls and other large items is log pieces left in the woods by loggers in the Copper Country. These pieces of wood are mounted on the lathe while they are still green. The piece is turned near to its final shape but left thicker. It is taken off the lathe and allowed to dry for nine months to a year. It is then placed back on the lathe and turned to its final shape, sanded until smooth and finished by one of a number of finishes ranging from oils to modern polyurethane.

When traveling he tries to obtain woods from other parts of the country to include Koa wood from Hawaii. Exotic woods from around the world are also purchased from mail order suppliers for smaller turnings.

Bill now resides on the Lake Superior shoreline near Calumet Michigan where he is woodturning on nearly a full time basis. He has pieces in a number of galleries in Upper Michigan and participates in a many art shows and juried exhibitions as possible.

Edith Wiard

Edith Wiard is a multimedia artist whose style is influenced by cultural events and the environment. Her intent is to translate her experiences among other cultures and the natural world and integrate them through the use of traditional and experimental methods. Her palate comes in the form of watercolor, inks and handmade paper collected in her travels along the Pacific Rim countries. Since art has no time or boundaries, it gives her the license to experiment and grow and allows her to use structured traditional design with the spontaneity of watercolor.

It is only after many years of travel and teaching that she has been able to focus on her creative endeavors. She is currently living along the shore of Lake Superior, near Calumet, Michigan, where her art work has taken on a full time life. Her work is in a number of galleries in upper Michigan, and she participates in many art shows and juried exhibitions. She is currently the president of the Copper Country Artists Association in Calumet, Michigan.