The instant that Greg Bartol pulls down a welding mask and commands a blowpipe, he loses himself in the moment.
His shop becomes his studio. The heating, bending and shaping of forgiving metal becomes a carefully considered brushstroke. The welder becomes an artist, creating customized sculptures with personality and style.
For Bartol, the craft is something new, something fun. The 61-year-old Auburn man found his passionate niche teaching welding and art after a 30-year career in law enforcement.
“There’s an element of magic to the art,” Bartol said from inside the spacious welding shop at Green River Community College, where he has taught students for seven years. “It’s fantastic. I like the challenge of making something different, something you don’t normally see in a gallery.”
Bartol’s specialty is welding steel and copper animals, which command attention with their vibrant, torch-created colors and detailed textures.
Bartol’s life-size creations can be seen this month at the Auburn City Hall Gallery, located at 25 W. Main St. The gallery, open to the public during regular business hours, will be on display through Dec. 3.
Bartol joins fellow artists Mirka Hokkanen and Joseph Larkin, depicting animals in different and unique mediums.
Hokkanen’s prints – linocut, intaglio and etchings – are whimsical, imaginative works that examine the secret lives of animals and explore what they might be really thinking. Many of the prints, mere inches in size, encourage a close-up study of Hokkanen’s technique.
Larkin paints acrylic on board, depicting a multitude of animals in a traditional portrait pose wearing Victorian garb. The paintings, the frames, the salon-style installation and the clever titles cohesively speak to an aesthetic that is unique, imaginative and lighthearted.
Larkin, who created the series specifically for Auburn, has found commercial success with his work.
Bartol’s metal sculptures combine to create an exhibition that explores human and animal relationships.
“I wanted to create something unique, not seen in art galleries,” Bartol said. “I wanted to do what’s not out there.”
Among his sculptures in the City Hall exhibit are a welded crab, a raven and ducks kissing under water.
Bartol’s work has caught on with connoisseurs.
He didn’t intend to create art for sale, but some of his works have found buyers.
Bartol keeps a list of things he would like to try. Among his latest projects, a full-sized metal peacock, spanning 9 1/2 feet, at home.
He also has been tabbed to create 50 green darner dragonflies for the City of Kent. The common dragonfly became Washington’s official insect after a group of students at Crestwood Elementary School in Kent brought the idea to the State Legislature for adoption in 1997.
For Bartol, trained privately in art history and design, the craft comes from his heart.
“It’s not hard but it takes some time, and that’s the difference,” he said. “Most people won’t spend the time, but I will spend the time and make it worthwhile … because when it’s done, it’s something you don’t see every day.”
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City Hall exhibit
• WHAT:
• WHEN: Through Dec. 3, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
• WHERE: Auburn City Hall, 25 W. Main St. Admission is free.
• INFORMATION: 253-931-3043, www.auburnwa.gov/arts
