By Jessica Hoover
Fishers resident and woodturner Tim Kennedy has spent more than 40 years using his artistic talents to turn pieces of wood into works of art. For this reason and many more, the Indiana Arts Commission has selected Kennedy to create the 2018 Indiana Governor’s Arts Awards.
Although Kennedy is a versatile woodworker, he is best known for woodturning, which involves using a lathe to shape wood. Kennedy’s creations range from vases and bowls to Christmas ornaments and wall art.
“My dad was an industrial arts teacher,” Kennedy said. “I grew up making things around the house, so I was always around it. I was always helping him, so I was always working with wood in some fashion. About 14 years ago I got my wood lathe, and I haven’t stopped using it since. It’s a little bit different. It’s a little more free-form rather than just holding a chisel in your hand. It just opens up a whole other artistic possibility that you don’t have with a tablesaw.”
Kennedy submitted photos of his past work to the IAC and was chosen out of a half-dozen other wood artists to create seven or eight awards. The finished product is due in the fall of 2018. Kennedy is still developing ideas for the designs.
