Former Minnesotan strikes a chord with guitar pick art
Former Minnesotan making art with guitar picks
A former Minnesotan has made a name for himself creating art with guitar picks. FOX 9's Maury Glover has the story.
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (FOX 9) - A Waseca native now living in Arizona has found a new dimension to his love of his guitar.
‘They’re just naturally beautiful things'
What we know:
Mark Kahnke has played the guitar for most of his life, performing at parties, fundraisers and senior centers.
But now he's using an accessory for his favorite instrument to create works of art.
"I really enjoy doing it, and I'm very happy with the end result," said Kahnke.
‘A lot of joy out of creating art’
The backstory:
After Kahnke retired as a mechanical engineer a few years ago, he made a portrait of his musical idol, Willie Nelson, out of guitar picks as a creative outlet.
Since then, he's completed about a half dozen other creations made out of the small plastic triangles, mostly of western scenes with a guitar somewhere in the picture.
"I just want people to feel good about looking at these pictures. To see the color and see what's going on. That where the cowboy just gets off his horse for a few minutes to enjoy the sunset. It's these kinds of things," said Kahnke.
Each piece of artwork takes Kahnke about six weeks and roughly 2,000 guitar picks to make.
He starts with an outline and then glues the picks in an intricate pattern, using scissors and an exacto knife to carve them into place.
"A typical reaction. Oh, that's pretty. I like the color. Kinda interesting and then Oh, they're guitar picks. That is a typical reaction I get," said Kahnke.
Color and emotion
What they're saying:
Kahnke hopes to pull a few strings and get his passion projects into a gallery or sell them online one day.
In the meantime, he is grateful his music-inspired masterpieces seem to hit the right note.
"I'm happy with the feedback I'm getting from people who have observed it or have an interest in acquiring it. So I just feel good in general about doing this," said Kahnke.