Craft Is Dead . . . Long Live Art

There is a great (and by "great", I mean fantastic!) exhibit at the Renwick Gallery in DC on display until February 3, 2013. Titled, 40 under 40: Craft Futures, it features forty artists under forty years old and has been assembled as an anniversary show in celebration of the museum's fortieth year of operation. Though it was conceived as the Smithsonian American Art Museum's home its "craft and decorative arts" program, I've always wondered how or why certain pieces are deemed "craft" and assigned to the Renwick Gallery, and how other pieces are deemed fine art. Certainly, a Sam Maloof chair, or an Edward Moulthroup turned vase are classical craft pieces, but why are iconic Renwick pieces like Wendell Castle's Ghost Clock or Larry Fuente's Game Fish so deemed? Likewise, why is an artist like Alexander Calder, who worked in metal and wood, and made many works of jewelry, deemed a fine artist. Or why is an artist like Martin Puryear, who uses boat building and furniture making techniques in his wood sculptures, never seen along side pieces by someone like Matthias Pliessnig , who uses similar techniques to create furniture? Is Roy Lichtenstein's Brush Stroke Chair fine art and Judy Kensley McKie's Monkey Settee craft? The truth is, there is no way to define fine art or fine craft that is exclusive of the other and trying to do so only sets up a false dichotomy that has no useful purpose. In the end, art is art and we should evaluate it based on our reaction to it, not by the materials used, the market value, or the history of the artist.

So I was elated to see the current exhibit at the Renwick -- one that I hope everyone should see (and by "everyone", I mean everyone) because the curator, Nicolas Bell, has totally ignored the dichotomy, selecting work based on quality and ignoring, all together, any definition of "craft" other than one that embraces work that is well made.

For example, Shawn Smith's pixelated sculpture of a camp fire, made with small cubes of plywood, titled Between 1 and 0, is much more conceptual than it is aesthetic, and in no way would one normally expect to find it in a show of "craft". 

Between 1 and 0

plywood, acrylic paint, ink

2011
Shawn Smith
Smithsonian American Art Museum collection
Gift of the Washington Design Center; Museum purchase through the Richard T. Evans fund

(photo: Teresa Rafidi)

And Dave Cole's piece, Evolution of the Knitting Needle Through Modern Warfare, is also conceptual, though it does have a tangential association with craft in that he has sculpted a crafting tool, knitting needles, in it. The sculpture is a hypothetical historical look at what knitting needles would have looked like if they had been issued by the US military since the Civil War. It is an amusing and thoughtful piece that you can best see it on his website here.

As an interesting twist on craft versus art, Stephanie Liner's work is a craftcentric conceptual piece that is, in part, about the furniture industry in the south eastern US as well as the fashion industry. For the exhibit, she has a giant egg shaped upholstered furniture/dress on display that a woman can "wear." It also has a window in which viewers can voyeuristically look in (the images on her website give a better understanding of the sculpture).

  Mementos of a Doomed Construct (closeup)
upholstery, plywood, fabric, sequins, yarn, embroidery, adhesive, cardboard
2011
Stephanie Liner
Courtesy of the artist
(photo courtesy of John Michael Kolher Art Center)
  

And then there is Melanie Bilenker's amazing drawings with hair, like Dresser Drawer. Yes it is technically a brooch, and yes, she is technically a jewelry maker, but her work is so much more than jewelry -- it is contemporary art that just happens to be wearable. Its functionality seems to be more of an afterthought or coincidence. By wearing it, the owner becomes a walking art exhibit. Incidentally, the piece is much smaller in person than the image below would imply. To make this "drawing," Melanie would have to have the manual dexterity of neonatal heart surgeon.

Dresser Drawer

2" x 2" x 1/2"

hair, paper, wood, gold, crystal, brass

2011

Melanie Bilenker

 Smithsonian American Art Museum collection

(photo: courtesy of Sienna Gallery)

In contrast to other conceptual artists in the exhibit, Laurel Roth uses a traditional "craft" technique (crocheting) for conceptual purposes. With her Biodiversity Reclamation Suits she has created costumes to disguise common urban pigeons as extinct birds, thereby reclaiming them.

Biodiversity Reclamation Suit: Carolina Parakeet

suit: cotton, silk, bamboo, wool, acrylic blends; mannaquin: hand-carved basswood, acrylic paint, gouache, glass eyes, metal legs, walnut stand

8" x 9" x 13"

2009

Laurel Roth
Courtesy of the artist and Frey Norris Gallery

(photo: Andy Diaz Hope)

 Biodiversity Reclamation Suit: Carolina Parakeet (closeup)

The quality of her "craft" in sculpting and crocheting is exquisite, but the loving/bittersweet humor in the concept of the work is what makes it really special. (Note: The Renwick is hoping to purchase at least one of these birds for their permanent collection through micro donations of $10 or more from the general public. They are really great pieces so, hopefully, they will reach their target. You can learn more at this link.)

Biodiversity Reclamation Suit: Passenger Pigeon

suit: cotton, silk, bamboo, wool, acrylic blends; mannaquin: hand-carved basswood, acrylic paint, gouache, glass eyes, metal legs, walnut stand
8" x 9" x 17"

2008

Laurel Roth
Courtesy of the artist, Frey Norris Gallery, and Schroeder Romero and Shredder Gallery

(photo: Andy Diaz Hope)

 Biodiversity Reclamation Suit: Passenger Pigeon (closeup)

And in Food #6, Pistols, you can see the beauty of her unadorned wood sculpture -- in this case a jaw bone of a fairly small cow that references a pair of dueling pistols. Is it craft because it is made of wood? No, it is in a "craft" show because it is made so darn well!

Food #6, Pistols

pistols: walnut, gold leaf, Swarovski crystals, bronze

case: velvet, walnut

20" x 15" x 3.75"

2009

Laurel Roth

Courtesy of the artist, Frey Norris Gallery

(photo: Andy Diaz Hope)

Thankfully, the curator also included works in the show that are classically seen as "craft," thereby further helping to tear down the false dichotomy of art and craft. Matt Moulthrop's untitled wood turning is an example of this,

Untitled

red maple

2008

Matt Moulthrop

Smithsonian American Art Museum collection

Gift of Dan Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser

 as is Jamin Uticone's black ash woven basket.

Urban Pack Basket

black ash, vegetable-tanned hide, brass fittings

2011

Jamin Uticone

Smithsonian American Art Museum collection

Gift of Martha G. Ware and Steven R. Cole 

Both of these artists apprenticed for long periods to learn their chosen fields (Matt for nine years and Jamine for six) but, regardless of the functionality, or lack there of, of their products, their work is remarkable as much for its devotion and vision as it is for its artistry.

Likewise, there are a number of participants in the exhibit that straddle the line between traditional craft and fine art. Including Jeffrey Clancy, whose Tea For One at first appears to be just a funny looking gun but in reality is an art teapot. Technically, it is functional but its function isn't the point, rather, its high level of craft helps the artist make a statement. It is beautify, humorous, and poignant all at once.

Tea For One

silver and mahogany

6" x 10" x 4"

2002

Jeffrey Clancy

Smithsonian American Art Museum collection

purchase made possible by the Charles and Margret Craver Withers Bequest

 

Andy Paiko's exquisite Spinning Wheel also falls in this category. It is a beautiful and delicate sculptural object that is perfect on its own, without being associated with any function, but it is also a fully functional object that can be used to spin yarn. The combination of the seemingly contradictory elements make the viewer see the object in a new way. 

Spinning Wheel

blown glass, cocobolo, steel, brass, leather

2007

Andy Paiko
Smithsonian American Art Museum collection
Gift of Peg and Bob Van Andel 

(photo: Andy Paiko)

 Spinning Wheel (closeup)

A video of the piece in action can be seen here. 

There is also work that leans more to function but that is designed to such a high level that it is equally fine art, such as Christy Oates' ingenious Crane Chair that, when it isn't being used as a chair, folds up and functions as a wall hanging (see more images here to understand how it works).

 Crane Chair

laser cut and engraved plywood, maple veneer, bungee cord

acrylic paint, wood dyes

2009

Christy Oates
Smithsonian American Art Museum collection
Gift of Leon and Miriam Ellsworth 

(photo; Christy Oates)

Along the same lines is her Mosquito Lamp (more images here).

Mosquito Lamp

laser cut and engraved plywood, maple veneer, bungee cord

acrylic paint, wood dyes

2009

Christy Oates

Smithsonian American Art Museum collection

Gift of Myra and Stephen Kurzbard 

(photo: Christy Oates) 

There were also two representatives of the new movement of ecologically conscience good design. Daniel Michalik's 3/1 Chair is one such object because it uses reclaimed cork (there by recycling an already renewable resource) and formaldehyde free FSC-certified plywood with low-VOC paints.

 3/1 Chair

recycled cork

FSC-certified plywood, low-VOC paint
2011

Daniel Michalik
Smithsonian American Art Museum collection
Gift of Phyllis and Sidney Bresler in memory of Charles S. Bresler and in 
honor of Fleur Bresler
photo by Daniel Michalik  

Also represented in this group is the Cyclone Lounger by Uhuru, the design team of Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf, because is uses reclaimed boards from the Coney Island Boardwalk. In making the piece they did a nice job in referencing the roller coaster of the amusement park from which it came.

Cyclone Lounger

reclaimed Coney Island Boardwalk (ipe), laser cut powder-coated steal base

2010

Uhuru

 Smithsonian American Art Museum collection

Gift of Bill Hilgendorf and Jason Horvath in memory of Cynthia Bricker Hilgendorf; Gift of Fern Bleckner in celebration of Etta B. Brown's ninety-fifth birthday; and  

Gift of Shirley Jacobs

(photo: Uhuru Design)

Christy Oates' E-Waste Project piece is also ecologically conscience but more in a conceptual way than in actual materials used. In creating the piece, a highly detailed work of marquetry, she photographed the process and made a companion stop action video that highlights the issue of e-waste. I had commented on the video many months ago after stumbling across it somewhere and was blown away by the brilliance of the concept, execution, and the shear fortitude in assembling the thousands of small pieces of veneer.

E-Waste Project

12 various wood veneers

2011

Christy Oates

Courtesy of the artist

(photo: Christy Oates)

 E-Waste Project (closeup)

An interesting aspect of the piece, especially in this show, is how she takes a traditional "craft" technique like marquetry and creates it with computers, robots, and lasers. Yes, it is still a "craft," but the techniques used to make it are no more craft than an iPhone. You can view the video below to get a better understanding of the piece. Although interesting and beautiful on its own, I don't think it really makes sense as a stand alone piece without the video.

Additionally, an interesting aspect of the show are the videos that the Smithsonian American  Art Museum asked the participating artists to create videos as a way to introduce themselves to the public and, perhaps also, provide some information about their process. With forty artists, there is a lot to look at but it is well worth viewing, especially if you want to learn more about specific artists. You can see all of them here, but if you just want to look at a few, I highly recommend the videos of Christy Oates, Olek, Gabriel Craig, Shawn Smith, and Melanie Bilenker. If you look at the videos you'll notice many great artists working in many different media. I've restricted my review to works made with wood because I have to draw the line, otherwise I would be spending all my time writing. For example, what would stop me from saying how I absolutely love Vivian Beer's work, and then how do I stop from talking about Olek, or Cristina Cordova, and then it is all down hill from there.

And finally, I just want to emphasize again what a great show this is, not just in terms of the quality of individual pieces, but in the overall selection of the work. The curator, Nicolas Bell, showed a lot of courage and vision in ignoring convention.Yes, each piece in the show is great, but the sum of the works says more than the individual pieces. As a group they make a commanding statement. To me, it says that finally, we can forget about fine craft and fine art definitions and just talk about the quality of the art. Craft is dead . . . long live art.

Building A Canoe: Steps VIII, IX, X

Part VIII - Fiberglass The Outside
After cleaning up the outside, the next step is to seal the wood with epoxy before starting the fiberglassing. I'm using West System's 105 resin and 206 slow hardener. For this size project, Gil Gilpatrick says you would need two containers of the "Group B" units, which is about a gallon container of the 105 resin. I really like West System's measuring pumps, which makes accurate dispensing so easy. The directions say that slow hardener shouldn't be used if temperatures go below 60 degrees (the directions warn about it possibly not curing at all), so it was fine for September, but I switched to the fast hardener, 205, for fiberglassing the inside, which I did in October. Actually, I found that 206 still works with night temperatures going down into the forties, it just takes longer. Anyway, the sealing process is the easiest part of the whole project, it just took a few minutes to mix up the epoxy and spread in out in a thin film over the hull.

After lightly sanding the surface, I reinforced the stems, as Gil recommends, with two layers of fiberglass on the bottom part of the stem and one layer on the front section. This is good practice for learning how to work with epoxying fiberglass. My work wasn't perfect but it can be sanded smooth enough and another layer or two of fiberglass goes over it anyway.

 Reinforced Stem

I should have taken a picture of the fiberglass before epoxying the hull. There are actually two layers on the bottom, one being an (American) football shape, the other covering the entire outside. I found the process of wetting out the fiberglass with the epoxy and getting it smooth to be very stressful because of the importance of finishing before it starts to harden. It is probably best done with two people, preferably with at least one person knowing what they are doing, but, all the same, it was doable. The biggest problem I had was in rapping the fiberglass around the stem. I ended up with a bit of a mess, partly because of inexperience but also because, when I read Gil's instructions I didn't turn the page and look at his picture, which would have clarified exactly what to do. Oh well, I figured I could clean it up with my Festool sander when it hardened, which I did. Problem solved.

It ended up taking about 3.5 hours (with a temperature of 77 degrees at 1:00 when I started) to wet-out the fiberglass (with epoxy squeegee cards) and by the time I was done, the first part had set up too much to be manipulated any more. I should have gone over the first part with a roller when I was halfway done, so the job wasn't as smooth as I would have liked.  

 Fiberglass Outside

After cleaning up the purely amerature, but passable, epoxy job, spreading out a second coat of epoxy was easy. Gil says that a third coat may be needed to fill all the fiberglass fibers, and mine were definitely not all filled, but other people I've talked with recommending using as little epoxy as possible because it adds too much weight and just looks bad the more there is. Better to clean it up and add many coats of varnish after the second layer of epoxy, so that's what I'm doing. 

 After Two Coats of Epoxy

Part IX - Clean Up The Inside
In turning the canoe over, I finally had to deal with cleaning up the inside -- not a particularly appealing task given the difficulties I had created for myself.

Start Cleaning Inside

Here is a better view of the hundreds of dowels (approximately 1500) I had sticking through the hull. I trimmed them with my dozuki (Japanese pull saw) before pulling out my Festool sander/grinder again. Because it was impossible to trim them flush, it was difficult to keep the remaining dowels from tearing up the sanding pads. Eventually, I managed to get it reasonably smooth with 40 grit paper before switching to 60 grit. After 60 grit, I started filling gaps with epoxy again, and then cleaned that up with 80 grit paper. I went over it with 120 paper before going back and rubbing it out with 100 grit by hand.

The hardest part was cleaning out the stems. I had to use chisels and coarse paper to get it reasonably clean. As long as no one is inspecting it with a flashlight, it should be good.

Unfortunately, the canoe flattened out as it rested on the saw horses without the forms. I added some support but it really didn't help much.

Part X - Fiberglass The Inside
So I put it on the ground before sealing with a first coat of epoxy. Again, pretty darn easy process. I used one of those cheap disposable Chinese brushes to get epoxy in the stems.

 Inside Sealed with Epoxy

I had to sign it before epoxying the inside and debated how to date it. I'm not sure that I'll finish this year but didn't want to pre-date it either. I decided to be optimistic and sign it 2012.

I decided I'd better pull the sides together before fiberglassing the inside for fear it would be too difficult to do after the fact. I used the forms to be sure I got the dimensions right.

I was fairly nervous about fiberglassing the inside. Gil's description made it seem pretty difficult and he ends the discussion with what I preceived to be hallow words of encouragement -- "You can do it!" I took this to mean, "I can't do it and it will look shitty" and thought it might make sense to do it in two sections that overlapped. My neighbor, who hadn't built a canoe but has plenty of fiberglass experience thought this was a good idea, but luckily I ran into a friend, who has built a canoe, the day I was going to do it and he talked me out of it -- just one piece, one time. 

It went smoother than I expected and only took 2 hours. The inside stems where much easier than the outside because Gil recommended just cutting the fiberglass short and not worrying about getting it in there.

I thought it looked pretty good when I was done and I had time to go over it several times before it set up but, unfortunately, the next morning I noticed a lot of ridges in the fiberglass. I guess I didn't pull the fabric tight enough as I was wetting it out. Oh well, again, this is what the Festool sander is for (and no, they aren't paying me to say this but I certainly wouldn't mind if they did). Of course, sanding it smooth really thinned out, or totally removed, the fiberglass in some small areas, but I'm thinking that on the inside it isn't going to make much of a difference.

Unsightly Fiberglass Ridges  

And here it is after the second coat of epoxy. It has settled a bit again. Though the width should be a little less than 35 inches, and it is about 38 here, I should be able to pull it back into shape when I add the yoke and seats. 

Fiberglassing Done!

Equines Rule in Furniture with Soul Show

Over the summer Gallery NAGA, in Boston, assembled an ambitious international show of top tier studio furniture artists that included makers profiled in David Savage's book Furniture With Soul - Master Woodworkers and Their Craft. I haven't read the book so I won't be providing any review here, but I have read reviews and from what I understand, it is an impressive survey of top tier US and British furniture makers. This show included artists that were featured in the first section of the book. Next year, Gallery NAGA is planning on exhibiting artists that were included in the second section.

Because these are the best of the best (though, as with any curatorial process, no one can agree who these should be and many of my favorites aren't in the book), it was a surprise to me that I would have such clear and definitive favorites in the show. Interestingly, they turned out to be pieces inspired by equines. First, there is this set of Zebra Cabinets made by John Makepeace, a British artist whose work I had never seen before.

Zebra Cabinets

black oak and holly marquetry, burnished lacquer interior

John Makepeace

2012

Seeing these pieces in person made me think that there weren't enough superlatives to describe them. They aren't just remarkably imaginative, playful, elegant, and refined, they are exquisitely perfect at every level of concept, design, and execution. "Breathtaking" would theoretically be a good word to use but it really doesn't do them justice.  

Zebra Cabinet (inside)

Zebra Cabinet (closeup)

And then there is Judy Kensley McKie's new Grazing Horse Table. No, it isn't wood, but as I've said before, I make an exception in reviewing Judy's work. It is typical of her designs in being graceful, elegant, and an original interpretation of an animal that so often depicted in art that it is hard to imagine a new take on it. She pushes the boundary of how a horse is perceived, keeping only what is essential for the viewer to understand the subject. I also like how she uses the strength of bronze to make such delicate legs and tail.  

Grazing Horse Table

Bronze

Judy Kensley McKie

2012

Grazing Horse Table (second view)

Though not a horse, John Cederquist's kimono cabinet, titled Big Kanji, is still a great piece. It is an innovative combination of marquetry, sculpture, painting, and furniture design. 

Big Kanji

mixed wood marquetry, analine dyes, epoxy resin

John Cederquist

2010

In spite of its sculptural form, it is still a very functional piece, but what I really loved about it was the mechanism for opening the big door. There is a lever underneath the small cabinet on the right that you pull and the door swings open very gently in a way that is reminiscent of a bank vault. 

Big Kanji (second view)

 

Big Kanji (third view)

In addition to his phenomenal Zebra Cabinets, John Makepeace had two very beautiful and unique Trine chairs as well as a stool made in a similar style. The chairs are made with alternating layers of laminated yew (light color) and 5000 year old bog oak (a natural, almost black, color).

Trine Chairs

5000 year old bog oak and yew

John Makepeace

1994

Trine Chair (second view)

Though this stool seems to be made with a similar techique as the chairs, the concentric circles are actually made with marquetry rather than sculpted lamination.

Trine Stool

5000 year old bog oak and mulberry marquetry

John Makepeace

1994

Incidentally, in looking through a catalog of John's work, as well as his website, I am amazed at the complete mastery he shows of a wide range of styles and techniques. It really is a remarkable achievement. Especially considering most artists have very distinct styles that are instantly identifiable. With his work, however, the only consistency is an impeccable level of design and craft.

Garry Knox Bennett had three pieces in the show. First is this coffee table made with a nautilus shell. 

coffee table

claro walnut, nautilus shell, epoxy, color core

Garry Knox Bennett

2012

I think the nautilus shell really makes the piece, especially with Garry's splash of color.

coffee table (close-up)

Garry also had this combination desk/chair in the show. 

vanity with Z chair

rosewood, yellow satinwood, copper, paint

Garry Knox Bennett

2012

Every time I see one of Garry's Z Chairs, I'm amazed by the physics of them. I can't understand how anyone can make one of these things and not have it collapse like an accordion the first time it is used. But, because I know it is one of his signature pieces, and he has made many of them, I am completely confident that he has figured out a way to make it work - but it still doesn't seem possible to me, must be some form of magic.

Z chair (close-up)

A chair I did sit in, and I can attest to its absolute comfort, is Peter Danko's NoCo 2 Chair.  

NoCo 2 Chair

ash, Macassar ebony, die cut automobile tire, steel

Peter Danko

1999

Looking underneath, you can see he engineered some unique springs with automobile tires. Perhaps it should be called a "Goldilocks Chair" because the springs are stiff, but not too stiff, flexible, but not too flexible.

NoCo 2 Chair (close-up)

Having also sat in Peter's Atmos Rocker, I can say that he seems to have given an uncompromising priority to the user's pleasure.

Atmos Rocker

ash, lacquer, automobile seat belt webbing

Peter Danko

1999

Surprisingly, though Thomas Hucker's Side Chair looks as if a priority is given to its sculptural qualities, is also extremely comfortable. The back rest gives support, flexes, and provides the user with a very pleasing massage.

Side Chair

wenge

Thomas Hucker

2010

Michael Hurwitz's Twelve Leaf Resin Table is a captivating combination of nature-inspired art and engineering. 

Twelve Leaf Resin Table

ash, wenge, epoxy resin

Michael Hurwitz

2012

To get a sense of the enormous effort needed to create this table, check-out this time lapse video of the process Michael filmed while doing a residency at San Diego State University.
SDSU Artist-in-Residence Spring 2012: Michael Hurwitz from Matthew Hebert on Vimeo.

The contrast between the ash and wenge is particularly dramatic. In many situations it could be too much but with the soft tones of the leaves, it works very well here.

Twelve Leaf Resin Table (close-up)

I found Jack Larimore's Abide to be an interesting variation on a tête-à-tête, perfect for people that aren't on good terms.

Abide

paulownia, steel

Jack Larimore

2009

Abide (second view)

And finally, there is David Savage's Perseus, a chair named after the Greek hero famous for slaying Medusa. I suspect the multi-snake-like backrest is a reference to that story. To tell the truth, I didn't try it out because I didn't feel worthy. It looks very regal (perhaps that is the British influence). I'll have to wait for him to make something for common folk before I'll pass judgement on the comfort of his work.

Perseus

waxed English sycamore, Macassar ebony, applewood, and suede upholstery
David Savage
2010

Given the impressive line up of artists that was assembled for this show, and the quality of the pieces they provided for it, I look forward to the second half next summer. 

Building A Canoe: Steps V, VI, VII

We'll, the cool weather has finally started to creep into Vermont and now I feel an definite urgency in working on the canoe if I want to get it into the water before it ices. Once it gets below 50 degrees, I'll have to bring it indoors to finish the epoxy work but I'd really rather not have it set up in my living room. 

Step V - Finish Stripping
I found the stripping process to be very slow. It would take between 1.5 to 2 hrs to complete a full row all the way around. No doubt it would have been faster had I just used one type of wood, or even if I had a set pattern with different woods, but, counter-intuitively, there is much more thinking involved in trying to do something that looks random; that, along with getting small sections to fit tightly, changing between drill (definitely need to pre-drill the holes for screwing down the strips) and driver, and dealing with all the clamps, it was just a very slow process.  

I finished stripping on August 18. The last row was a little tricky because I needed to shape two pieces with a bead on both sides. They also had to be sculpted over a length of about ten inches from 3/4" wide to a point but I found my Lie-Nielsen 102 block plane was the perfect tool for the job. It was great to see them slide into place perfectly. The final count was 69 rows. I had planned on using only one strip of cherry but ended up using three, one on each side and one on the bottom. In addition, I had been worried about not having enough strips but, in the end, I had plenty, with 350 feet left over. In retrospect, 1200 linear feet would have been perfect (I started with 1385) but I'm sure I can find a use for my surplus. I'm thinking of making a flat wall piece with them. I think it would look great to have them displayed next to each other. 

Step VI - Fill Holes With Dowels
After stripping, my next step was to drill out all the staple and screw holes and fill them with 1/8" and 3/16" maple dowels. I had no idea how many 36" dowels to buy so I was glad to have a local source. I ended up making five trips to Spooner Specialties, picking up a total of thirteen 1/8" dowels and nine 3/16". I didn't count my holes but if I assume the my dowel length was 1/2" per hole, I filled over 900 1/8" holes and over 600 3/16" holes -- probably pretty close to the actual but I'm not interested in finding out the exact number. By the way, fair warning to any copycat canoe builders out there, forcing the 1/8" dowel into the 9/64" hole I drilled into the basswood was not fun. It was a real tight fit because the basswood didn't cut cleanly (I think the humidity of summer had something to do with it but filling the walnut holes was so much easier). My blisters have at least healed but I still have a sore shoulder.

I needed to take the canoe off the forms early in order to finish putting the dowels in the stems. 

In addition, I didn't feel comfortable with the design of the stems. I felt they needed some additional reinforcement. Ideally, there would have been a laminated strip inside the stem that the strips could be attached to, but it was too late for that so I ended up sticking 5/16" dowels through both sides and epoxy-ing them in place. I think this will work as well as anything. 

Step VII - Cleanup and Fill Gaps
The next step was to clean it up, shape the stems, and fill any holes/gaps. One of the problems with using walnut is that it didn't flex as well as the basswood so I did have a fair amount separation on the tight curves. Nothing too extreme, but definitely noticeable. I tried to make an epoxy putty that would match the wood using PC-11 (marine epoxy) and Transtint's Dark Mission Brown dye. For some reason it came out more gray than I would have liked but it was good enough.

It took about three rounds of sanding and refilling the holes. Luckily, I have a real nice Festool sander/grinder (it can be partially seen on the right side of the last image). Between cleaning up all the dowels, glue, and epoxy, I don't think I would have wanted to use anything else. I started with 36 grit paper (touching very lightly), and worked down to 120 grit. Gil Gilpatrick said that anything smaller than 80 grit doesn't make a difference but the sander/grinder leaves a very distinct sanding pattern so I wanted to go smaller. In addition, I went back and hand sanded with 100 grit paper just to make sure it looked good.  

 And there it is, prepped and ready for the first coat of epoxy!