Category: Woodworking

Gallery Bunkawitz (2022)

(2022) Gallery Bukawitz

 

In memory of a great cat (Bunkawitz) Seattle’s tiniest gallery has been formed. Curated by Danielle Blackwell, Tim Fowler and myself Ezra Dickinson, we aim to give our neighborhood and anyone who wonders by a little taste of the creations regularly being made here at our home. New exhibits every two months, starting September 2022. You can follow Gallery Bunkawitz on instagram @gallery_bunkawitz

 

  

     

Hanoon Bench (2022)

 

(2022) Hanoon Bench, Totem Lake WA

In the spring of 2022 I was commissioned by long time friends and supporters Wassef and Racha Haroun to create and install a design for a 50’x8’ restaurant bench back, at their new restaurant Hanoon in Totem Lake. The project called for me to source inspiration from an 18th century Syrian inlay on a dresser Wassef and Racha own. I started by sketching and getting into a design area that we all liked. Then digitally I started making drafts of the design working towards a product that would be sent off to be CNC routed into twelve and a half sheets of walnut veneer 1” plywood. While the design was being routed, the framing for the bench was built and installed. When the entire design had been completed, the routed plywood was installed at Hanoon. I then got to work painting the inlay design all 50’ feet of it. For the painting we chose to mimic the source inspiration of the Syrian dresser vine motif. Silver for the vine, and bone white with a translucent pearl overcoat for the blooms. This design and the completed product came out great. I’m quite pleased with the results, Wassef and Racha were speechless, the atmosphere that this piece added to the restaurant is palpable and commanding. If you would like to commission a design contact Ezra at: ezramdickinson@gmail.com

 

 

Black Crane (2022)

 

(2022) Black Crane Treehouse

One of my main projects at the start of 2022 was helping the Rockland crew build the Black Crane Treehouse. I joined the build just after the subfloor had been established, staying on the build until July, just as final touches were being worked out on the interior finish. This was my second build where I got to take part in the construction from the framing and raising of the walls onward. Since 2018 I have been giving a portion of my time to learning building protocol, permitting, and inspections. This treehouse really brought together all the elements of the build, this is knowledge that I can apply in so many ways as life presents all sorts of building opportunities in the future. Check out Rockland Woods for more info about the artist residencies held twice yearly. Here is a selection of photos following the build process from start to finish.

           

Kaaseiyi (2021)

(2021) woodwork canoe

 

This canoe is named Kaaseiyi, meaning voice of man. The canoe is named after Nahaan’s father Roger Alexander. Roger was Kaigani Haida, from double headed eagle, frog, beaver clan. From Hydaburg AK. Traditionally in native culture mostly men build canoes, and traditionally in western culture boats are given the gender of female. With Kaaseiyi, Nahaan intentionally separates this act of love and remembrance from western practise and expectations, and firmly sets this gift as a gift of not only memory but of tradition and cultural responsibility. A vessel for learning and growing family, through songs, protocol, and leadership.

 

I was asked by Nahaan if I could help build Kaaseiyi after the cedar strips had been formed and set into their place to make the dugout canoe shape. We began by prepping for delivery to the fiberglasser. After fiberglass had been applied both inside and out, we sanded it down to a smooth state. We landed at our first generous work space offering at the Museum of Museums (MoM) in Seattle. While at MoM, we cut the rough shapes for the in and out wales, and the bow and stern top pieces. We steam bent the in and out wales and attached them. Then it was time to move to our next generous work space offering provided by Vermillion Art Gallery also in Seattle. While at Vermillion, we steam bent the rails that sit on top of the in and out wales, steam bent and attached the risers that the seats rest on, and we cut and fitted four seats. At this point we began to clean, shape and refine the overall body. 

 

Each work session would start with sage, and at the end of the work day, songs would be sung to Kaaseiyi. Our last step was painting, starting with primer, sanding, primer, sanding, and probably a little more primer once the surface was as smooth as we thought we could get it. Then we started adding color, and delineating shapes. The shape that the black makes on the outside is referencing the belly of the killer whale. Many more coats of marine grade paint, a little wax, and we were ready to have a naming ceremony and launch. 

 

On a perfectly beautiful overcast rainy Sunday afternoon at Golden Gardens, we formally named the canoe Kaaseiyi. A representative from the Duwamish Tribe attended and gave us permission to launch, have a safe journey, and come back again soon. We loaded up seven deep, and pushed off into the water, watching as the small crowd of attendees sang us songs and danced on the beach. The sea lions and eagles were circling and watching us as we pulled our way around the buoy and back to the beach.
 
What a gift to help my best friend build this boat, we both built this with no prior experience in building a canoe. We could not have done this without the guidance of master canoe builders, Wayne Price, Beau Wagner, Dale Bekkela, Joe Martin, Al Charles, and Stormy Hamar from up the coast to Canada and AK. The reverence for the craft of building a vessel that holds human life in the water is a profound learning lesson. I’m thankful to have been given the chance to share in this truly amazing process.

NAMING CEREMONY

 

After the completion of building Kaaseiyi, a few months later we began the formline design covering the outside of Kaaseiyi. First Nahaan sketched out the design on the left side, then I copied the design to the right side. Then we spent time redrawing and refining the formline design. Helping hands started to add the colors, three coats of paint later Kaaseiyi had his decoration.

 

Rockland Building (2018-present)

(2018-present) carpentry building apprenticeship

 

Part of each year is spent working towards further realisation of artist residency space in the forest nearby the Olympic mountain range. I have for some time wanted to learn the skills needed to build my own home. Being an artist allows me to shape and align my life and schedule in the directions that I find relevant. Helping Shawn Landis and Jodi Rockwell realise their ideas and dreams has been a beautiful escape from city life and invaluable learning experience. 
Rockland

 

Stage by stage we lay out plans and build new additions to the land, ranging from renovations to existing structures, cement forms, forest baths, cedar hot tub, woodshop, ceramics studio, live work space, and soon to start a treehouse. I cherish each new project in this lush green forest. With each new step I am reminded of the feelings I had when visiting and performing at Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts in 2007. 

 

BLACK CRANE TREEHOUSE

Cardinal (2017)

(2017) Painting. Exhibited at Seattle Art Fair, Out of Sight, Seattle WA. 

 

This painting is a further step in the direction of building my own painting surfaces. For many years I have been building the frames my paintings go on to, and for some time I have wanted to create an asymmetrical frame to better follow the shape of my works. This is the first true venture into this new idea. This involved more than twenty individual parts, both glued and nailed together. Once the frame and surface had been built, sanded, and primed, I then placed the already created vinyl sticker onto the surface of the wood frame. The vinyl sticker had been gradually developed over the previous three years, incorporating both adhesive vinyl, acrylic paint and block print. This is probably not the most efficient way to create this work and in the future I plan to build the frame first then make the painting/mixed media work on the surface. It was very stressful affixing the premade vinyl sticker to the already built frame, there was absolutely no margin for error. With each work, new lessons are learned. I absolutely love how this piece turned out in the end. This work has since been sold.

 

Tiny Home (2015)

(2015) Center on Contemporary Art Un[contained] Residency, Seattle

 

I had recently been in the Bay Area performing and was struck by the tiny movable homes taking up no more than a parking space, I saw lining the streets in West Oakland. Upon learning I had been awarded this residency, I felt compelled to explore these movable tiny houses for myself, as I had not seen anything of this sort in the Northwest despite rampant homlessness. 
Using salvaged wood in tandem with other recycled/donated resources, I created a portable living space. By painting the exterior of the structure I aimed to make this home command the attention of those who would rather choose to ignore the state of homelessness and displacement in our area. The home acts as a billboard, stating in the most matter of fact way the basic necessity of having a roof over one’s head. Voicing through words the needed legislative action of RENT CONTROL to help create sensible affordable homes for those in need.
I can’t help but notice the increase in the past ten years of people living on the streets in Seattle, especially in the last three years. Can this temporary home be a sense of pride for the inhabitant? Could this action open the eyes of developers?

 

Addressing An Issue

Bald Man Show (2008)

(2008) solo art show, the Anne Bonny, Seattle

 

For this, my first solo visual art exhibition, I created fifty new paintings on built and stretched wooden frames. I experimented with a variety of surfaces for painting on, from silk, canvas, wood, vinyl and foam core. Each new work was of the Bald Man, a character I have been developing since 2001. The Bald Man is a tool for experimentation through visual art, murals, posters, printing, and ceramics and has become known amongst local graffiti works in the city. A tool to learn through, I have  committed to reproducing this image over the rest of my life.