Behind the Art, Behind the scenes, Drum December, Drum Works, How Po Makes Hand Drums, Kingston Artist, Po's Drum Making Process, Portia Chapman, woodworking

Drum December Day 4 | Finding the Nerve to Bend

December 12, 2025 Portia "Po" Chapman

Po and her assistant sharing a moment of nervous laughter while preparing to bend sun-steamed white oak for a drum frame during Drum December Day 4 at Po’s Kingston Art Studio. — Po and her assistant share a moment of nervous laughter.

Today, Po takes the next brave step in her sun-steaming white oak experiment — the moment when softened hardwood meets human hands for its very first bend. And this time, the studio was full of laughter, nerves, and a little bit of chaos.

Preparing for the First Bend

After three days of solar steaming and fibre relaxation, the white oak was finally ready to move toward its circular drum shape. But white oak is known for being stubborn — unlike red oak or cherry, which tend to cooperate more easily. This was Po’s very first time attempting to bend white oak, and the air carried that charged mix of excitement and hesitation.

Because the frame pieces were long, Po called in an assistant during this stage. Today, she chose DAD.

Before the camera was rolling, Po looked at her assistant with a theatrical seriousness and joked:

“If it breaks, you can be the one to blame!
I don’t want to be the one who snaps it.”

That set the tone.
The wood was ready.
We… were getting there.

The Moment Before the Bend

As her assistant stood there, holding one end of the hot, hopefully flexible, board trying to work up the courage for the first bend, Po stepped beside her trusty assistant to offer support — and then they immediately broke into laughter. She tucked herself halfway behind his arm, peeking out like someone about to watch a suspenseful scene in a movie.

The cameraperson had already begun losing patience with how long it was taking and insisted that they stop laughing and get serious. She wanted to get the shot. Then she started laughing.

This is the real life of drum frame bending at Po’s Kingston Art Studio — part process, part comedy, all family, ALL ART. Drum making is a beautiful, love-filled-art, and this short video illustrates the joy that cheers out with exuberance of Love Art By Po.

Nervous Laughter, Real Art

In today’s short video, you can witness the exact moment when nervous laughter gives way to determination. Po, her assistant and cameraperson take their positions, breathe through the tension, and finally begin the first coaxing bend of the white oak.

It’s only a small curve — a gentle start — but it marks the beginning of the transformation, from plank to drum. And as simple as it looks, this step matters: the first bend dictates how the wood will behave when the full circular frame is shaped and clamped.

A Family Moment in the Making of a Drum

What the video doesn’t capture — but what filled the studio — is the feeling of teamwork.
Making drums in this space has always been infused with love, humour, and family togetherness. Today was no exception.

Drum-making is not simply about shaping wood at Love Art By Po;
it’s about beautiful, shaping moments — that make everyone stronger.

Making drums has taught Po an incredible life lesson – a circle of wood is like a circle of loved-ones, when you push on them – they get stronger as they find their harmonious tune.

Join us again for Day 5, where Po continues shaping the wood — and the shared moments — that make every drum a circle of strength and love.

Watch Video Short on YouTube

📧 Portia@loveartbypo.ca

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Behind the scenes, Drum December, Drum Works, Kingston Artist, Po's Drum Making Process, Portia Chapman, Sustainable Craft, woodworking

Drum December Day 2: Po’s Sun-Steaming Method Begins

December 10, 2025December 10, 2025 Portia "Po" Chapman

Po Chapman lying in the sun wearing yellow sunglasses and a green shirt, beginning Day 2 of her sun-steaming drum-making process. — Day 2: Po begins her sun-steaming process for crafting hardwood drum frames.

Welcome to Day 2 of Drum December!

Today, Po begins the very first step in her innovative sun-steaming method — a sustainable process she personally developed to prepare kiln-dried hardwood for her premium drum frames and exposed stretchers.

Sun-steaming is a technique that Po pioneered to reduce the environmental impact of traditional wood steaming. Instead of soaking the kiln-dried wood for two days and then heating it with electricity, Po slides the carefully milled hardwood into a long black tube with ridges along its interior.

The ridges guide the wood as it slides in, producing a distinctive sound — the beginning of the transformation.

Once the hardwood is inside the tube, Po fills it with water and lets the sun do all the work. For three full days, the water naturally heats within the sealed tube, allowing the wood fibres to relax and prepare for bending.

An Energy-Conscious Method for Steaming the Wood:

Removes the two-day soaking stage
Uses no electricity
Reduces water consumption
Produces a more responsive bend
Creates the smooth, elite-quality curves Po’s drum frames are known for

This is where Po’s craftsmanship begins — with innovation, patience, and the sun itself.

Tomorrow, we’ll continue documenting this process as Drum December unfolds, one beautifully authentic step at a time.

Tomorrow, Po continues the transformation as she assesses the wood to see whether it has relaxed enough to become bendy and ready for shaping.

Stay tuned for Day 3!

📧 Portia@loveartbypo.ca

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Behind the Art, Drum Works, How Po Makes Hand Drums, Portia Chapman, Studio Process

Drum December Begins at Po’s Studio

December 9, 2025December 9, 2025 Portia "Po" Chapman

Hands bending a wooden drum frame over the knees of a person seated on grass. — Shaping the curve of a drum frame — one of the first steps in Po’s rhythm-making process.

Today marks the beginning of Drum December, a month-long glimpse into the rhythm and process inside Po’s Studio. Instead of presenting finished pieces, this series brings you into the quiet, hypnotic motions that form the foundation of Po’s drum works.

The first video is just five seconds long — a looping moment that feels like it could play forever. Simple. Repetitive. Almost meditative. It captures a small piece of the energy that moves through Po’s creative process: the balance of sound, gesture, material, and breath.

Po has always worked from rhythm. Whether she’s painting, shaping rawhide, or exploring new concepts for future installations, there’s a pulse beneath everything she creates. Drum December is a way to share that pulse with you — not through explanation, but through small, visual experiences.

Throughout the month, you’ll see short clips from the studio: textures, movements, tools, surfaces, patterns, and the making behind upcoming work. Some loops will be raw; some will be visually polished. All of them come from Po’s hands and her way of seeing.

Watch it on YouTube

This series also sets the stage for the work she is developing for her upcoming installation, where drums and light will play an important role. Think of Drum December as the first heartbeat of that larger project.

Thank you for stepping inside her studio.
More rhythm, more movement, and more behind-the-scenes moments will arrive soon.

Have a question about Drum December or Po’s Studio? Email Po’s Studio

Start Your Drum Project

— Artwork and murals by Portia “Po” Chapman, Love Art by Po

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Drum December Day 11 – How to Clamp a Drum Frame – Love Art by Po

December 19, 2025

[…] for the final clamp. If you missed the early stages of this journey, you can catch up on Day 5 and Drum December Begins to see how we prepare the wood to be […]

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Portia Chapman, Portia Po Chapman Frames and Stretchers

Behind the Scenes: Building Frames and Stretchers

November 4, 2021April 18, 2022 Portia "Po" Chapman

Portia Po Chapman On Making Frames and Stretchers

Behind our favourite paintings exist an unseen construction that without, much of the art world would remain rolled up and stuffed under artists’ beds.

Transportable paintings need mounting materials.

How tight to stretch a canvas varries in options almost as the number of artists who use them. I still like to use a dollar store stretched canvas and water stained, a warted canvas board in a pinch. Us artists just have to create. Even an old bed sheet held down on the grass with rocks will satisfy our needs at times.

I grew up in a home adorned by ongoing art projects. As children, our drawings on the walls were never punished. My parents didn’t even pick up a bottle of cleaning spray. My parents would be so proud. You’d think a scribble I did on the foyer wall was their new Mona Lisa.

I was always welcome, no matter how young, to sit in on adult oriented art events and courses. One time, my dad gave the participants each a cup of black paint, a brush and led them to an inner foyer of our home. I walked proudly with my cup and brush. When we all entered the room, he instructed about 8 of us, “Paint.” The class was aghast at the instruction. Confusion as to what and where was accompanied by a laughter and a dash of delirium. What surface should we paint? When everyone just stood there shoulder to shoulder in an oblong egg shaped formation, he took my cup and brush and painting a long swath across the wall. “Here, now paint! Let the spirit of creativity move you.” You see, he had been planning this exercise for months without telling anyone. The walls were stuccoed and sealed with an opaque, non-script grey. I hated those grey walls. After that night of painting, a really special energy adorned that space. It was impossible to enter his studio without walking through it. That night, as a community of creators, we created a creation that greeted hundreds of people. Behind that collective art piece was a prepared framing of what would be a very special welcoming space. After a few years, it hit me, “ahh, now I know why he built that space in the shape it was – smacked in the centre of our artsy home. He wanted everyone to see our art.

I remember when I was about 7 years old when we took off the kitchen cupboard doors. We had very little, if any, money. The cupboards remained without doors for years. Our family has been unwilling to sell them, even though the offers for these impromptu paintings on cupboard doors still have the hinges mounted or hanging off them. One time, we didn’t even have paint. So we rigged up a medium and surface to hold that medium. The painting is a bit of plaster, a dash of purple house paint and all kinds of different spices and sugars for colour and texture. As a family, we did what we had to do. Even when it felt like the world was closing in on us, we found some way to keep creating. I spent hours upon hours searching for the right rock or tree bark to paint or use in a construction. From a young age, I learned that the proper frame, stretcher, surface, or background could be found for any art creation.

After about 2 years off of creating full-time due to education and teaching pursuits, I had to get back at it. I just had to. I considered a few options but I needed to build. I needed to get my hands dusty and covered with filler and paint. As I was going through my artistic idea journal, I was drawn back to drums and exterior wood and paper sign board. As amazing as it sounds, as soon as I found my place in my art-space of mind, commission requests came to greet me and my new drum collection found its voice.

In the following pictures, I have included some snapshots of my frame and stretcher work for these new art pieces. I am having the time my life. So much fun and so fulfilling to prepare the pieces to be painted.