Crow by Akkana Peck. Courtesy photoART News:
The fourth annual Los Alamos Artists Studio Tour is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 14 and noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 15.
This free, self-guided tour will take visitors into the studios of nine of Los Alamos and White Rock’s talented artists, in addition to two art classes from UNM-Los Alamos. Each stop offers something new and exciting.
At ProjectY cowork at 150 Central Park Square, guests will see a sample of each artist’s work during the hours of the Tour, or come to the reception 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13 to meet the artists, plan your stops, and enjoy some live music.
Tour booklets with maps can be found at key locations within town, including the Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce, White Rock Visitor Center and both public libraries.
The Studio Tour is sponsored by the Los Alamos Arts Council and Los Alamos MainStreet and is a New Mexico True event.
For more information, visit http://www.losalamosstudiotours.com.
Sea Serpent by Akkana Peck. Courtesy photo
Hummer by Akkana Peck. Courtesy photoMetal artist Akkana Peck is in her second year with the Los Alamos Studio Tour.
“I like the idea of turning cast-off junk into creatures with personalities, or into something fun that might make someone smile,”Peck said.
She doesn’t always know what she’ll be making next.
“I try to let the metal pieces tell me what they want to be—a roadrunner’s beak, a frog’s head, a puppy, a bighorn ram. Sometimes I see a piece and know right away what it wants to be. Other times it sits in a bin for months before I know.”
Noted metal artist David Trujillo was her initial inspiration.
“I’d always wanted to learn to weld, but somehow it never happened,” Peck said. “When I visited David’s studio on the 2015 Studio Tour, I loved his sculptures and asked him where I could learn how make art like that. He ended up mentoring me.”
Peck said. people always ask her where she gets her raw materials.
“They come from junkyards, yard sales, scrap metal sellers,” she said. “And now that my friends know I’m doing this, sometimes someone will give me a
box of wonderful junk.”
See Peck’s work on the Los Alamos Studio Tour Oct. 14-15, or visit her website, http://JunkDNAart.com/
Wood turning by Patrick Soran. Courtesy photos
PATRICK SORAN
Artist Statement:
Wood has always fascinated me. As some people crave textile sensations, seeing a fine piece of wood and imagining what it could become has the same effect on me.
In 2007, I applied to and was accepted into the Northwestern Woodworking School, taught by Gary Rogowski, a regular contributor and editor of Fine Woodworking magazine. This two-year course, taught at the Northwest Woodworking Studio in Portland, Oregon, really opened my eyes to the artistic side of woodworking.
We were encouraged to see beyond the lines and angles of the product and to stretch our imaginations to the beauty of the finished product. Every three months, we completed a new project, consisting of boxes, cabinets, tables, and chairs. At the completion of the course, I became an accredited Master Woodworker.
Though I am an engineer at heart, I find that designing graceful, creative wooden objects has brought out a new side of me that I did not know existed. Matching the correct wood with a design or using an inlay to make a statement is an exciting part of the design process.
For the last several years, I have been working with my favorite woods (birds-eye maple, cherry, walnut) to create various pieces of furniture (tables, blanket chests, Morris chairs, and cabinets), several types of wooden boxes, and numerous wood turnings.
Many of my wood turnings have been constructed using segmented techniques. These techniques allow for use of several exotic woods and design in a single wood turning. Several of my works have been sold at the Los Alamos Art Center, private galleries, and numerous commissions.
I have participated in the Los Alamos Artist Studio Tour for the last four years. It is a wonderful tour that presents a diversity of various art forms in our community. I hope you enjoy seeing my creations and the sensuous nature of the wood in their composition and makeup.
