Gouache Moon
KAPOW 2021 Week 5	Gouache Painting	January 31, 2021
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

Here is an experiment with my first effort with gouache painting.

OK, I agree, it looks more like the sun than the moon. I based the composition on the (rather blurry) photo (below) that I took from the beach of the moonrise over Whidbey Island. I was intrigued by the orange glow of the moon and clouds and the reflections on the waves in the water.

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..

Hand Drawn Hiker
KAPOW 2021 Week 4	Digital painting + photography	January 24, 2021
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

Meet Hand Drawn Hiker, this week’s KAPOW.

• 

On a hike up the Duckabush River drainage, I stopped and took this photo (below):

• 

I like the photo: the textured curves of the hills, the etherealness of the clouds, the hint of the glowing sun in the upper right, and the view into downtown Seattle (that got washed out in the haze). I stood there and soaked in the view. Shouldn’t everyone? So I added Hand Drawn Hiker (HdH) so that everyone can enjoy.

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..

Chess Piece Lamp
KAPOW 2021 Week 3	Wood Turning	January 17, 2021
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

More experimentation with the wood lathe this week. With no real plan other than exploring patterns, I glued up a block from two square pieces of walnut and two square pieces of maple with a smaller center inclusion of cherry (or what I thought was cherry). See making of photo #1 below.

I started shaping it on the lathe….and ended up with something that looked remarkably like a big (albeit multi-colored) chess piece. The center wood pieces (what I thought was cherry) ended up looking quite similar to the larger, neighboring, maple sections–I was hoping for more contrast. Overall, it came out pretty interesting, even if it is not really in my decor style.

I made the shade out of fabric around adhesive-backed styrene. I picked up the fabric last year with no intended usage–it makes a great lamp shade.

Here are a few making of photos:

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..

Fire Maple Pencil Holder
KAPOW 2021 Week 2	Wood Carving	January 10, 2021
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

This week I carved a two barrel pencil holder out of a block of tiger maple. There may have been more sawing, drilling, filing, and sanding than actual carving. I originally intended the chunk of tiger maple for a wood-turning project, but the odd-size and shape of it seemed more appropriate for a carving project (the swoops at the top were already there). And I could see the pencil holder shape…..

The textured pattern of the maple is pretty incredible.

I finished the pencil holder with a simple coat of boiled linseed oil.

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..

Duck Fire Bucket
KAPOW 2021 Week 1	Sewing	January 3, 2021
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

Another more crafty project as the new year dawns.

This week I made a waxed canvas (duck) bucket to use dousing campfires car camping.

The bucket has a diameter of 9 inches and is ~ 9 inches tall. It is made from two layers of waxed canvas. It holds water surprising well (Photo #5 below).

Future work will be to add the handle (Photo #4 above)….waiting on some hardware to arrive.

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..

Moat Candleholder
KAPOW 2020 Week 26	Wood Turning	December 27, 2020
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

FAILURE! The KAPOW follows the warts-and-all approach–as a weekly art project is sure to produce.

This week I made a wood turned candle holder out of a block of Myrtle (starting size = 6x6x3 inches). All was going well……I turned the wood on the lathe (using the new lathe chuck I got for Christmas (thanks Mom & Dad!)). And if you look at picture #1 below, all was still quite good. I drilled the holes for the candles. There was a candle holder.

If only I had stopped there….. But, I thought it would be a great idea to pour some blue-tinted epoxy into the channel I had created in the top of the candle holder—a moat? (see pictures below). The epoxy did not set [lesson learned–always test the epoxy thickness, temperature, etc. before pouring into an almost finished project]. The epoxy remains gooey! Worse, in an attempt to help the epoxy to set, I left the candle holder in front of a space heater–too close!!!! The wood started to check and split (see picture #2 below). If the wood had not split, I would just goop out the epoxy and refinish the candle holder. As it is, I will wait and see if the checks/splits heal themselves (if so, there may be a return of the project!).

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..

Redelm Swirlclops
KAPOW 2020 Week 25	Wood Carving	December 20, 2020
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

Redelm Swirlclops started off ‘life’ as a cutoff from last week’s Leopard Nightstand. I had a vision of an infinity swirl/cyclops face coming out of a body and attempted to carve the face from the block. Ultimately, I did not get as much relief in the swirl as intended (the red elm wood was very, very hard and difficult to carve!), but it does make an interesting effect.

Height = 5 inches

I am not the most thorough sander….and the the pictures do highlight the imperfections. It looks a lot more sanded in polished (sanded) in person.

I have an idea for a Swirlclops version two….stayed tuned…..

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..

Leopard Night Stand
KAPOW 2020 Week 23 + 24	Woodworking	December 13, 2020
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

KAPOW week 23 went from one week to two! (A KAPOW rules violation!). Here is the KAPOW week 23 and 24 project:

A nightstand made out of Leopardwood and Red Elm. We needed a narrower nightstand, so I envisioned this pedestal style nightstand with dual table surfaces. It has a 5 degree (back) angle for the main beam.

Next step: add a small drawer under the lower table surface (I have an idea how to attach one).

Some additional thoughts: I did plan the top joint with some consideration for expansion/contraction, but if it does separate, the plan is to route out a channel where the wood meets and fill with a separate strip of wood. Also, the base could be a bit heavier. It is not going to fall over, but it could use more weight to anchor it (I was going to use thicker wood with larger feet at the base, but ran out of wood).

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..

Fox
KAPOW 2020 Week 22	Digital Painting	November 29, 2020
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

A fox chasing a mouse!

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..

TreeAngle
KAPOW 2020 Week 21	Digital Painting	November 22, 2020
KAPOW = Kevin’s Art Project of the Week

Sometimes you lead the idea. Sometimes the idea leads you. This is not where I thought this image was going. The KAPOW this week is…..TreeAngle. A tree at sunset or a piano? You make the interpretation.

For more information on the KAPOW project, follow this link.

Remember, there is no definition of art…..