TEXARKANA - It is amazing what can catch the eye of an artist and become his chosen medium of expression.
To retired corporate sales representative Ken Ravell of Pleasant Grove, his chosen canvas - that being old heads off golf clubs - came to him while in a flea market and seeing something that inspired him.
"I saw another guy there doing something similar, so I said, 'I could give that a try,'" he said.
And so he did. Since 2017 he has been working and honing his craft, coming up with these creations, haunting flea markets, thrift stores and consignment stores for more golf clubs upon which to make his art.
"I generally give them away to friends, various other folks, like my doctor, dental aids and the like," he said. "I'm always surprised by folks' reaction to them, both who likes them and who doesn't. There's no real logic or sense in it, but there you go."
As to what he decides to do with each golf club head, it all depends on what inspires him.
"I decided early on, no real rules in this game," he said. "So I do things like an Elvis duck, police duck, Groucho Marx duck, whatever I come up with."
Ravell says he has messed around with art his entire life, but this retiree has found that having more time to explore things has given him more time to check out this endeavor, as well as others, such as beekeeping and general "piddling around."
"I go into consignment shops and flea markets, thrift stores until I come across particular clubs," he said. "Then at some point, they become ducks."
While obtaining these clubs for his work, he has found himself researching these clubs and the companies that make them. Though he has never been a golfer himself, describing his game as bad, he is fascinated by the history of these companies and the golf personalities they are associated with.
"Yeah, I'm terrible at the game," he said. "Odd thing for a guy in sales to be bad at golf, but there it is."
Ravell is a widower, having lost his wife in '99. However, he does think of what she would think of this hobby.
"She would love it," he said. "Not only would she be interested in what I'm doing, she would want to make her own art out of golf club heads herself."