This piece was created by Virgil R. Barksdale, an accomplished turner and member of the American Association of Woodturners, in June of 1997. It was donated by the artist to the association's educational fund and purchased directly at auction. The work has been on display and virtually untouched since that time.

Virgil Barksdale was born and raised in Oklahoma and currently lives in a rural area north of Seminole.

Working with wood since the early 70s, he has, as most artists, expanded his creativity in wood. His woodturnings are prized by both collectors and investors around the world. Virgil's latest works include hollow vessels of various shapes and styles. He is able to create unique pieces with the process which begins with wood he has harvested in his area.

Virgil does not turn just a bowl or vase, he turns nature's defects into works of art. In some of his pieces, using the natural voids, inclusions, and cracks, Virgil inlays them with a mixture of crushed stone and brass or a crushed resin material, enhancing the natural beauty of the piece. Virgil developed this inlay process in 1991. He never works against what nature has already created, his pieces are designed to accent what is already there.

Being a member of the American Association of Woodturners and the Central Oklahoma Woodturner's Association has placed Virgil in a select group of artists who work in wood as both educators and craftsmen. These are artists who truly understand and respect the beauty and versatility of wood that nature has created. Virgil has given woodturning instruction and demonstrations for organizations and individuals around the country. He wrote an article for the AAW and demonstrated his inlay technique at the national symposium.

     "I work with the wood, never against it. nature dictates certain designs that cannot be altered without destroying nature's own art form. I've learned to work with nature on her own terms, in return, I have been rewarded with the satisfaction of uninhibited works of art. Have I turned the perfect piece? I don't think so. Have I succeeded as an artist? Yes, as one realizes that success lies within one's own self-gratification."