Nature Art included at the 2025 FOBW Sparrowhawk Plant Sale

At the 2025 FOBW Sparrowhawk Native Plant Sale, I shared a covered table space with Lisa Manning apart from the Sparrowhawk canopies. I offered my hand-turned wooden bowls, plates, and lidded boxes for sale. I made them mostly on my lathe from cherry, oak and maple woods. Lisa sold her self-illustrated children’s book, Falcons in the City, and colorful nature-inspired postcards.

I started with offering about four to five dozen things for sale, mostly wooden bowls of various sizes. This was my first exposure of my handmade items to the general public, so I was a little nervous about the reception they might have. All the items were donated to FOBW, so all revenue of the wooden items, books and postcard sales went to the group. The FOBW plant sale is a convenient free venue for me to find homes for things I enjoy making and so the fund-raiser is a win-win.

At the end of the native plant sale, I had only one bowl left. The Nature Art Sale profits came to a total of $1,590.00 (Wooden Items $1,087.00, Books $204.00, Cards $136.00) for the two days, plus $163 in cash, all donated to FOBW. All in all, I feel like the effort was very successful. I’m personally pleased by the public’s reception of my work and also that I can help FOBW.

We are both very grateful to Sparrowhawk and the FOBW members who allowed this to happen and helped make it successful through their work to publicize it. Charlie, especially appreciates the support and assistance of his wife Melda. Lisa especially appreciates the support of the art sale customers. FOBW members hope to offer more Nature Art at the Native Plant Sale next spring.

by Charlie Montgomery FOBW volunteer & Lisa Manning FOBW Treasurer