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Dale Thayer -
PDThayer2391@sbcglobal.net
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  Growing up around my father's auto body garage provided a comfortable
environment for me to absorb the craft of stretching, shrinking, chasing,
cutting, welding, leading, grinding, drilling, threading, and painting metal.
In high school I worked for a jeweler who created wrought-iron wall
decor for interior decorators in Jackson Square, San Francisco.
I've always enjoyed working with metal since the materials are so versatile;
although, it can be somewhat daunting at times given the variety of tools that
are sometimes needed.
After careers in insurance and the military an interest in metal sculpture was
recently rekindled in classes at College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita, taught by our own SCAA
member, Idelle Oakman Tyzbir.
I'm enthralled by a quote from
John Lubbock (British Scientist, 1834 - 1913)
"What we see depends mainly on
what we look for."
My educational background includes a BA degree in political science and
history. Patricia and I have lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for over 20 years and joined the
SCAA in 2009. |
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"Arenal Lodge"
(above blue sculpture)
The medium is flat cold-rolled steel of various dimensions which
are MIG welded. aluminum tube and remnants are TIG welded to the
base plate adhering to the concrete pour which is clad with
porcelain tiles. The piece is finished with powder coating by
cardinal industrial finishes; blue 90% gloss / black.
My inspiration was a stunning evening view from the lodge balcony of
the active Arenal volcano in Costa Rica, punctuated by two squawking
macaws winging their way over the forested valley in return to their
roost.
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"Vera"
The mediums are mild steel, stainless steel, spring steel, and brass which
has been mig oxyacetylene and brass welded. The patinas are acid
oxide as well as dye oxide which were applied using the hot
technique. The sculpture measures 26” x 16” x 7”.
A fellow student in a metal sculpture class
created a great effect on a metal mask using welded chain links for
hair. My Ah Ha! inspiration moment came with the garage door
springs.
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"Homage To
Isamu Noguchi"
The medium is mild steel / stainless steel. MIG and oxyacetylene
welding along with slotting were fabrication methods used, and the
top circle is staked. A Japanese brown patina was applied using the
hot technique. The stainless steel was sanded and polished. a red
powder coating was used on the top focal point.
Inspiration was the swirls, curves and negative spaces seen in the
stone sculpture and seeing if that effect could not be achieved by
using the slotting techniques of fabricating and joining steel
pieces together used by Isamu Noguchi, a Japanese-American artist
and landscape architect 1904-1988. |
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"Cinderella Flower Shop"
The medium is a wire armature covered with oxyacetylene welded metal
salvaged from a kitchen oven. Some of the porcelain material which
coated the appliance adheres to parts of the sculpture which is 15”
x 15” x 7”.
Inspiration came while browsing through the Cinderella Flower Shop
in Bakersfield, CA. I came across a plaster of Paris figure I could
not resist. Several moves, scrapes, nicks, cracks, and broken horns
resulted in the more durable sculpture. |
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