The concept of the series — inspired by Tori Spelling’s own craft obsession — is rather simple: make something — anything. Out of anything. With anything — well, anything that is provided to you. And Kevin Chartier, hailing from Los Altos right here in Long Beach, plans to do just that by ruling Craft Wars.

Back in December, TLC contacted Kevin after checking out his website to compete on the show’s second episode featuring a beach theme. I personally found this to be simultaneously bemusing and painfully obvious. It is bemusing for me in the sense that “craft” is often separated from “art” — and Kevin is, first and foremost, an artist in my eyes. His metal sculptures are a mix of kinetic scultpure a la Calder thrown in with Mondrian’s obsession with primary colors. He speaks of the influences of Dadaism and Bauhaus.

He is — undoubtedly — an artist influenced and inspired by the powers of the modern art world, making his pieces extremely hard to classify as craft. And while I am not entirely in the philosophical camp that craft is entirely severed from art, I do believe there is a difference between art that stems from ideas and craft which stems from comfort. 

Kevin, however, balances in between — which is why it was painfully obvious, after some brief reflection on my initial (and partly ill-grounded) belief that all art stems from ideas rather than emotion. “Art has to have a purpose? Absolutely not. I like art one day and then hate the same thing the next,” he says, chuckling.

Kevin’s humble demeanor comes out in his work, which lacks a pretentiousness and clearly borrows from the influences he proudly proclaims. Hopefully his creative approach wins him the prize on Craft Wars. “I build both aesthetic and utilitarian pieces,” he said when speaking to the Post. “If you don’t like what you’re building, people won’t like it either — and that makes it where ya can’t look at it and ya can’t use it. I mean, I’ve done room dividers in restaurants as well as abstract wall hangings.”

Along with his competitors, they’ll first face off in a “Pop Craft” challenge, where they must create one of the craft world’s most popular items (think birdhouse, think basket) in just one hour. Judges Erica Domesek (author of the DIY book, P.S. I Made This), Stephen Brown (author and founder of the multi-million dollar gift wear company Glitterville Studios) and Jo Pearson (author and creative expert for Michaels) will evaluate their crafts and eliminate one contestant.  The final two crafters must wow the judges in the crafting challenge of a lifetime, the Master Craft challenge. They’ll have to use all of their creative crafting prowess, and push themselves to the limit, because when time is up, only one will win and walk away with the $10,000 prize.

Kevin’s episode airs tonight on TLC at 10:00pm.

CORRECTION: It was originally stated that Mr. Chartier is from Park Estates; he lives in Los Altos.