Kip Powers

Bio:
Small to moderate scale "one-off" turnings, usually from domestic American woods, are the current output of Rogers, Arkansas craftsman Kip Powers. Primarily self taught, Powers picked up basic techniques from studying books by Utah turner Dale Nish and broadened his skills at workshops under well known turners Del Stubbs, Alan Stirt, John Jordan, Christian Burchard, Trent Bosch, Nick Cook and Mike Hosaluk. A few years ago, he became interested in working with "defective" woods, occasionally inlaying natural voids, cracks and insect holes with contrasting materials such as turquoise. Pieces are designed on the lathe rather than rigidly pre-conceived to make it possible to highlight features of the wood that are revealed as the turning process progresses.

Powers finishes his turnings using materials selected to impart minimal color to the wood, keeping the finished turning as naturally colored as possible.

He has won several awards in competitions sponsored by the Gulf Coast Woodturners, the Stateline Woodturners (chapters of the American Association of Woodturners), the Beaumont, Texas Art League and the Artists of Northwest Arkansas. He received Awards of Merit at the Fall 2004 and Spring 2006 Greater St. Louis Art Association shows. In August, 2001 he was juried into the Arkansas Craft Guild. He is a founder and past president of the Stateline Woodturners, a chapter of the American Association of Woodturners.

Powers was academically trained as a research chemist-a profession from which he recently retired-and is married and the father of twin adult sons.