Artists Jack Northrop & Rob Hart to be
Featured at ArtWorks at the Depot in Kane

By Ruth Gentilman Peterson
Publicity Chair
ArtWorks at the Depot


Artist and gallery receptions are free to the public and a great opportunity for residents of the area to meet local artists and learn about media and inspiration. Refreshments are served.

October 1 is the second of three ArtWorks First Fridays and features two local wood artists: wood turner Jack Northrop of Kane and wood intarsia artist Rob Hart from Clarendon. Both Northrop and Hart are juried PA Wilds Artisans and Gallery Artists at ArtWorks.

Jack Northrop…“I turn bowls knowing each piece is going to be different. I let the wood tell me what I'm going to make out of it. I may start out with one idea and end up with a completely different piece. It’s addictive,” says Northrop of his art.

“I use local hardwoods and salvage (or scrap) wood for my art; black cherry, walnut, maple, butternut, locust, sumac and others. I use pieces left from logging -- pieces left in the woods after timbering, pieces from veneer logs left at the sawmill. It is all found wood. Wood that people can’t use. I have never cut down a live, healthy tree to turn a bowl,” Northrop notes. “I enjoy working with burls. They create some of the most interesting pieces.”

No two pieces are alike. Jack twice-turns each piece. He turns them green, let’s them air dry to about out 8% moisture content and then turns them again.

Northrop shares that “Most of my bowls, platters and many of my vessels are face-plate turned. I use natural edges and carving techniques to finish a piece.”

During the reception Jack will make a pen or turn a spinning top or a small bowl to demonstrate.

Rob Hart…“Wood is my medium and ‘intarsia’ is the technique I have enjoyed for nearly 20 years to create my craft. I am self-taught. For me the artistry comes from getting in my zone. Without conscious thought, the hours fly by. When I work in my shop, I often think of my grandfather who also worked with wood in making furniture.”

“After I get an idea for a piece of art, I choose wood using a variety of shapes, sizes and species of wood that I fit together to create a three-dimensional inlaid, mosaic-like picture known as intarsia. I enjoy using the wood’s natural grain/pattern, knots and color to create the look I want. Each piece of wood is individually cut, carved/shaped, and sanded before being fit together like a jig-saw puzzle and glued to a piece of 1/4 inch plywood backing cut to accommodate the finished piece. Each piece has a polyurethane coating. This is what brings out the grain and knots. I sign the work when it feels finished to me.”

“I use soft and hard woods. Since hardwood is plentiful in the area, I use a lot of it. Choosing the wood is a large part of the artistry and inspiration for me. I try to listen to what the wood is telling me. I stay away from dying wood, choosing instead to obtain naturally colored woods. The main tools I use are scroll and band saws and sanders,” says Hart.

Both Northrop and Hart will share more of their artistry and their latest art with those attending this Friday’s event.

The final First Friday on November 5 features wood and clay artist Joe Feikls of Kane. ArtWorks is located at the Kane Depot at 1 South Fraley Street, Kane.

December at the Depot in Kane features a holiday open house by The Historic Preservation Society with displays of their latest historic acquisitions, Holgate Toys, and preservation gifts, in addition to a wide range of fine art available at ArtWorks local artist cooperative gallery.

On the first Saturday in December is the annual holiday Artisan Market for all ArtWorks members to display and sell their art.

The Depot is the home of the Historic Preservation Society of Kane, ArtWorks at the Depot, Holgate Toys Factory Store, and serves as a welcome center Saturdays and Sundays, June-December annually.

Photos courtesy of ArtWorks at the Depot

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