In this issue,
you’ll read about Kevin’s Excellent Adventure, an upcoming
solo show, Kevin in print, what’s going on in the studio and
how Kevin keeps his cool. Read on!
Kevin took this shot of a dish and a mover
at the Very Large
Array
Finding Inspiration on
an Excellent
Cross-Country Adventure
Sometimes you have to
get some distance to see something clearly. That’s just what
Kevin did for three weeks at the end of June and beginning of
July, taking a 7,600-mile motorcycle trip through 18
states and two countries.
“A lot of my
inspiration comes from nature,” Kevin explains. “Riding on my
motorcycle not only lets me get out into the countryside, it
also allows me to puzzle things through in the back of my mind
while the front of my mind is watching the road. I began doing
this while driving an 18-wheeler, and somehow it works for
me.”
You can see
stills from Kevin’s trip – in which he visited the DIA
Beacon museum and Storm King Art Center’s amazing sculptures in New York,
Niagara Falls (mecca for a guy who makes fountains) in New York and Canada, Mt.
Rushmore and Crazy Horse in South Dakota, as well as a nascent Cape Cod art,
science and education center – in the Photo
Gallery.
Two videos
from the trip are already available, and more are coming soon.
You can also see a beautiful “tintype” by photographer Bill
Westheimer. Westheimer made the collodion print on aluminum when
Kevin visited his studio in New Jersey.
“It was an incredible
trip,” Kevin says. “I’m ready to take another
soon!”
Time for ‘Free
Play’
What the heck – use a
crayon to mark Thursday, October 15 and Saturday,
October 17 on your calendar. Those are the receptions for “Free Play,”
Kevin’s upcoming show. “I have a lot of fun
creating my work,” Kevin says. “And I love to see people smile
or laugh when they look at and play with it.”
You can do just that
at the opening ArtWalk reception on Thursday evening and two
days later on Saturday. Of course, Kevin is attending both
receptions and will be unveiling some new pieces. Come and join
us for hors d?oeuvres, wine and a great cause -10% of all proceeds
from the entire show, running through November 7, will be donated
to Free Arts of Arizona.
Free Arts of Arizona helps abused, homeless
and at-risk
children
Free Arts of Arizona is a nonprofit
organization that sparks the creative spirit of abused, homeless
and at-risk children through the power of artistic expression.
Since 1993, Free Arts has touched the lives of nearly 60,000
children living in more than 100 group homes, residential treatment
centers and shelters in Maricopa County. The organization helps
children express emotions through the creative arts. Free Arts ambassadors
will be at both receptions to answer any questions you might have. To
learn more now, please visit www.freeartsaz.org
or call 602-258-8100.
Of course, you’ll be
hearing more about the show, which will be held at Pearson
& Company in Scottsdale, but get out that glitter pen and mark your calendar now for the Thursday night event, October 15, or the Saturday, October
17, daytime event. For more information, contact
us at info@kevincaron.com
602-952-8767.
In the Press: Going
Underground
Kevin’s comments about
simplicity and creativity and a photo of his piece the Genome
Project are slated for the next issue of the Underground Art School Magazine. “Your
work is OUTSTANDING!” said publisher Racheal Anilyse in her
acceptance letter. Underground Art School is a quarterly print
and PDF magazine devoted to advocating the work of art
students, graduates, and creative professionals.
In the Studio: The
Genome Project Swings Away, After Escher
and Crowned
Begin to Take Shape
Kevin’s latest kinetic
piece, the Genome
Project, came together beautifully. “I love the
shadows it casts as it rotates,” Kevin observes. You can see the sculpture “dance” with its shadow in
one of Kevin’s latest videos.
After Escher’s
grid
Kevin is now working
on two other sculptures. “I usually like to work on more than
one piece at a time,” he explains. “That way I can let
something percolate in my mind on one piece while I work on
another.” Both of the current pieces have working titles,
which only sometimes end up as their official moniker.
Inspired by the Dutch
graphic artist M.C. Escher, After
Escher is a bit of a departure for Kevin. The grid
shaped into a möbius strip has been a true challenge. He
created a jig to assemble the 2″ and 6″ pieces that make up
the grid.
Crowned takes the ball-and-pipe construction Kevin used
for Genome Project in another direction. You can see both
pieces in the In the Works section of the Web site.
WHAT’S THAT?
Usually we focus on
some of the cool tools that Kevin uses in his work, but in this
issue, we’re covering something truly cool ….
Hi, Ho
Silver!
When you have an
outdoor studio, wear long pants and steel-toed boots, and work
with fire where summer temperatures regularly top 110 degrees,
heat is an issue. Kevin uses a large, portable “swamp cooler”
(in which a fan blows over moving water), but, of course, you
can’t have a breeze aimed on you when you’re welding.
This year, Kevin began
investigating ways to keep the studio at least a little
cooler. He focused on the high ceiling in the main work area,
looking for ways to keep the heat from coming through the
roof. After considering blanket insulation and Styrofoam
panels, he began looking into radiant
barriers.
Radiant barriers,
which reflect the heat back through the roof, come as small
reflective chips, reflective foil (much like the space
blankets that became popular in the 1960s) and radiant-barrier
paint.
The chips, which are
usually blown into an attic, were impractical for Kevin’s
open-roofed studio. The barrier was intriguing, but more
expensive than the paint, especially when a vendor made Kevin
an offer he couldn’t refuse. “He offered to apply the paint
for 10% over cost, then install the foil at cost if I wasn’t
happy,” Kevin says.
In June, the
insulation company came in and, well, painted the ceiling
silver. “It just looks like paint,” Kevin admits. This paint,
though, has reflective material in it.
And when Kevin got out
his temperature gun, which he usually uses for checking the
surface temperature of a sculpture before applying a finish,
and “shot” the ceiling where the paint had been applied, then
compared it to an unpainted section, the temperature
differential was fifteen degrees.
“That doesn’t sound
like much, but when it drops the temperature under 100
degrees, it’s noticeable,” Kevin says. The question is whether
it’s cool enough, but Kevin says he’ll give the
radiant-barrier paint a try. “We certainly have enough summer
left to give it a good test.”
If you’d like to
know more about a specific tool or process, let us know. Email
us at info@kevincaron.com
WHAT
ARE YOUR DREAMS?
Looking for a way to make life more joyful and peaceful for yourself or a
friend who seems to have everything? A sculpture, fountain or
garden bell might just be the answer. Besides, you have an
“in” – you know the artist! And it’s easy: just email us at info@kevincaron.com or
call 602-952-8767.
Kevin is glad to
provide a free consultation about your needs or, if you
prefer, you are welcome to visit his Phoenix studio. Just
email info@kevincaron.com or
call 602-952-8767 – we’d love to see you!
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For more frequent
news, sights and sounds, keep an eye on Kevin’s Web site at www.kevincaron.com, which
we update often.
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If you enjoyed this
issue of MUSeINGS, or you know someone who is looking for a
special piece for home, work or as a gift for that person who
has everything, please forward it to your lucky
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CONTACT US: Kevin Caron – 5831 N. 46th Pl. –
Phoenix AZ 85018-1236 – 602-952-8767 – info@kevincaron.com –
www.kevincaron.com
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“Inspired sculpture for public & private
spaces”
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