"When I make my work, patience just goes into the passion. "If your passion is flying kites, you're gonna go out there every day you can to get the satisfaction of flying that kite. "I'm no more patient than anyone else waiting at that traffic light to turn green, but everybody has a patience for their passion," Theobald said. Judging by the intricacies of his Smithsonian item, it took a good deal of patience to perfect. He doesn't know how long it took to complete "Eye of the Storm " he doesn't pay much attention to the time. The circular piece is meant to replace that of a hurricane's "pinwheel" effect, as Theobald calls it.
The scene reminded him of a hurricane, the eye of the storm that lay idle in the middle. He sees the hues of blue and violet as they build over a vast landscape. Such is the case with "Eye of the Storm," an intricate piece of woodworking that gives the top-down illusion of a gyrating cyclone.įrom the elevation of Pine Bluffs, he can look out over the prairie at the early morning thunderclouds pluming in the distance.
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The moments where he realizes he doesn't know how to do something are often his favorite. What's kept Theobald woodturning is the drive to solve problems and create something new. He can thank his father for one thing, and that's instilling in him a work ethic. "His question was, 'How much does that cost?' I said, 'No, dad, they're paying for me to come.' It just doesn't make sense to somebody that used to till the ground." Theobald told his dad some years ago that he would be flying to England to teach woodturning. "My dad, he's the farmer - our farm just turned into a century farm - and his deal is, if you don't have three hours of work in by eight in the morning, you're a slacker," Theobald said.
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It was the thing that allowed him to express himself, after a life of manual labor. Theobald spent many years running a cabinet business, putting his skills to practical use, which is probably why neighbors get confused as to what he's doing in the shop all day.īut during his time running a business, he waited for those six weeks off where he could work on his craft. It's a labor-intensive medium, carving and sculpting wood. "Did they put the names on a big spinning board and throw a dart at it?" "There's plenty of wood artists that they could have selected from," he said with a laugh. Out of more than 170 pieces, he was chosen to represent the medium of woodworking with his sculpture. It will now be featured in the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum as a part of their newest show, "This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World."įor the opening exhibition, Theobald was one of 12 artists invited to Washington, D.C., to interact with attendees during the showing. Theobald, a contemporary wood artist living in Pine Bluffs, recently had his 2013 artwork, titled "Eye of the Storm," purchased by Smithsonian Institute collectors from another private collector.