It may be 106 in the shade but metal artist Don Kenworthy will be found in his shop, running a swamp cooler, listening to rock ‘n’ roll on the radio, busy with a project.

“It’s hot,” Kenworthy said. “But I have stuff to do.”

Kenworthy, the creator of “Spirit of the Saguaro,” “Selfie Gate” and “Big Blue” to name a few of his public art pieces in Fountain Hills, crafts functional art, whimsical pieces, large works and accidental magic.

One of his favorite pieces, which is situated in his front yard, is made from leftover materials. It is a cube decorated with a desert flower. The patina is perfect, reflecting the light and color of a desert sunset.

And it bongs.

“It makes a bonging sound sometimes,” Kenworthy said. “When the sun is just right on it, or when the air is a certain temperature, it bongs.”

The sound, Kenworthy said, is deep and fairly loud. And he has no idea how it does it.

“I didn’t design it that way,” he said. “I don’t even know if I could make another one and have it make the sound. But I like it a lot.”

Kenworthy considers himself a problem solver. Because he works on numerous projects with builders, architects and interior designers, he wants his work to be unique. He designed and is fabricating a swimming pool railing for a local couple.

“They needed a railing to help them get out of the pool easier,” he said.

So instead of a chrome rail, he is working on an elongated piece in the shape of a snake, complete with a snake’s head at the end.

“They like it a lot,” he said. “And it’s just different than a regular pool railing.”

In his Fountain Hills home, Kenworthy has dozens of pieces of his art, as well as practical objects throughout. His kitchen features metal countertops. He designed and made his fireplace with metal coverings.

Kenworthy works in a variety of metals, from stainless steel to steel to copper. He said he likes the different looks each type of metal creates.

“There are just so many ways metal will work for art and for functional projects,” he said. “It puts a more artistic twist than other materials, I think.”

Kenworthy and his wife, Andrea, have worked together on different projects and participated twice in the annual Tour d’Artistes, put on by the Fountain Hills Art League.

The couple moved to Fountain Hills from Seattle in 2001. For more information about Kenworthy’s art, visit donkenworthy.com.