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BOB HARKNESS |
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Working
on wooden parts for boat, ship and airplane models started Bob on the path
to becoming a self-taught wood carver. In
about 1987 he began carving miniature carousel horses and carved a
rocking horse complete with a saddle and all the trimmings for a
brother-in-law’s daughter. He also carved many figures for the 100th
Anniversary Lewis and Clark Exhibit in 2003. Early
in 2001, traveling with his wife Carolyn while she did genealogy research,
Bob had some time on his hands while she was in libraries and
court-houses. He decided to carve a canvasback duck. Being a duck hunter
and having an associate graphic arts degree, designing it wasn’t hard.
He bought a piece of bass wood
to use and came home with a duck. When
he and Carolyn returned in the spring he took the finished duck to the
Sumner Woodworker Store to ask if they knew anyone who might give him a
critique of it. It happened to be a Saturday morning so he was shown to
the back room and met Jeff
Iller and the rest of the Saturday morning carvers. Bob
asked Jeff if he would critique his duck; Jeff was surprised by the
carefully carved feathers and told Bob about wood burning them, along with
other advice. Bob became a regular at the Saturday morning carving
sessions and decided to join the NWCA. In 2005 he added to his knowledge
and skill by taking a class from Jeff Iller, and served as president of
the NWCA. After one year on the Steering Committee he served again as
president from 2007 to 2010. Ducks
became his favorite subject, usually carved in red cedar because he had
lots of it. He ran out of cedar in 2007 and started carving in bass wood
and tupelo. After blocking out carvings on a bandsaw in the garage Bob
works with hand tools and a Dremel tool at a work table in his hobby room,
surrounded by ongoing projects. Carvings are painted with Delta Ceramcoat®,
a water base acrylic, and finished with Krylon® or Deft®. At
the Wild Fowl Festival in Sacramento in 2002 Bob entered a
pair of Buffle Heads in hunting decoy class in the Pacific Flyway
Show. He meant to enter it in the novice class but they moved it up to
open class (now advanced) and it took a second place. He also has a first
place for a sailboat model in the 2002 NWCA Show. Bob
was born in St Maries, Idaho and raised in Kelso. He served in the Air
Force from 1962 to 64 as a radar maintenance man and worked at the base
exchange as a civilian for two years. After that he was a
heavy equipment mechanic until he retired in
September 2000 as a maintenance supervisor for Flying Food, a food
supplier to the airlines. Bob and Carolyn have been married 42 years as of
last November and have a daughter, Lori and a grand daughter Kristall. In
addition to carving he enjoys the company of other carvers, duck hunting
and traveling with his motor home. They take a long trip when they have
enough money saved up, about every five years.
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Join us at the NWCA Show & Sale to honor Bob Harkness |
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Created by BMiller....Sept2011 |
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