'WOOD' KICKS OFF FIVE-PART EXHIBIT ARTS CENTER WILL FEATURE CARVINGS, LATHE WORK.

Byline: Peggy Hager Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Woodworkers Martin Littleton and Robert Sutliff will be featured as the Cedar Centre Art Gallery opens the first of five exhibits that center on the elements of Chinese tradition: wood, metal, earth, fire and water.

``Wood'' features wood pieces turned on a lathe by Littleton, a retired carpenter and contractor, and furniture and carvings by Sutliff, who operates a Green Valley gallery.

``I just love it: the enjoyment of creating something out of ... something that would be lost,'' said Littleton, 65, of Quartz Hill.

A reception to meet the artists will be held from noon to 4 p.m. today at the gallery, 44857 Cedar Ave. The artwork will be on display today through April 24.

Littleton was a carpenter and general contractor by trade before retiring and devoting his time to the art of wood turning: he uses a lathe to shape wood that would otherwise be burned in fireplaces or thrown away, creating glossy, patterned vases and bowls.

Preparing the scrap wood can take months. Littleton boils, freezes and soaks the wood to prevent the finished piece from drying out and cracking.

Introduced to the lathe by a relative, Littleton is mostly self-taught, through hands-on experience and the use of books and the Internet.

Sutliff and his wife, Victorina, own Art from the Heart Gallery in Green Valley, where they live. The store displays his wood carvings as well as her wind chimes.

Sutliff's pieces in the Cedar Centre exhibit include a chest of drawers, jewelry boxes and the carved head of a jester. ``I'm really trying to go for the bigger stuff ... it's something that I've always wanted to do,'' said Sutliff.

A woodcarver for 10 years, Sutliff also builds custom pieces such as cabinets, bars and furniture.

A former construction worker, Sutliff said he wanted to do something more creative with wood than just build houses.

``I've always expressed myself artistically in terms of drawing but I reached a level in my construction ability that I wanted to take it to another level,'' said Sutliff.

He begins a carving without a preconceived design and lets the shape of the wood guide him.

``Usually it's all freestyle. I try to go into it without any ideas at all and I'll look at the wood patterns and grains and I'll let the piece tell me what its going to be,'' Sutliff explained. ``Even with power tools, it's very time-consuming work.''

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For more information, call [phone].

Other ``element'' shows are:

--``Metal,'' featuring Jay Ryatt and Charles Fulmer, April 30-May 29.

--``Earth,'' featuring Warren Scherich, June 4-July 3.

--``Fire,'' artists to be announced, July 9-Aug. 7.

--``Water,'' featuring Valerie Freeman and a second artist to be announced, Aug. 13-Sept. 11.

Peggy Hager, [phone]

peggy.hager(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) The artistry of woodworker Martin Littleton will be on display through April 24 at the Cedar Centre Art Gallery, including this exhibit, which shows the evolution of a piece from raw form, right, to finished product.

(2 -- 3) Wood carver Robert Sutliff, below, with a piece titled ``Jester,'' is one of the featured artists at a new display at the Cedar Centre Art Gallery. Among his other works on display are ``Master Poe,'' above. The exhibit will open today and run through April 24.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer