Auction, fundraiser to benefit wood carver, painter Hank Chiappetta

Local artist Hank Chiappetta has made a name for himself around town for his intricate wood carvings.

Using a mallet and a chisel, Chiappetta creates ornate sculptures, mantles and walking sticks, each covered with imagery from his thoughts and dreams.

“I have a lot of bizarre ideas,” the artist told the Spokesman-Review in 2014, “and I can’t just stop at a head on the end of a stick.”

He doesn’t just work with wood though; one of Chiappetta’s watercolor paintings was recently included in “Close In: 1st Inland Northwest Juried Landscape Art Exhibition” at the Gonzaga University Jundt Art Museum.

The wood carver and painter is currently battling stage four terminal liver cancer, and a group called Spokane Outlaw Artists is hosting an auction and fundraiser to benefit Chiappetta and his family.

The auction includes pieces by Irene Dahl, Rick Davis, Roch Fautch, Amber Hoit, Ildiko Kalapacs, Tom Norton, Helen Parsons, Steve Scroggins, Jesse Swanson, John Thamm, Kay West, Darrell Wilcox and more.

Chiappetta’s work will also be available for sale, and the event will feature refreshments and entertainment.