Dragonfly sculptor can't help
but catch your eye

By Cory Chagami

Something had caught Ron's eye.

Dragonflies. No, not the little insects with stained-glass wings, but giant ones made from metal.

"My daughter did a report for her biology class on dragonflies," Jepson said. "These are beautiful. We like garden sculptures."

The Jepsons aren't the only ones who noticed the dragonflies right away.

"I come here about every week," said 9-year-old Martin, whose mother asked that his last name not be printed. "They look like airplanes with big eyes."

Local artist Christopher Pauley is responsible for the 11 dragonflies scattered in the bushes of the Bellingham Public Library courtyard.

"I think the dragonflies are cool," their creator said. The dragonflies are there for the July 31 Reception Exhibit and will remain there until the end of the year. Pauley is one of two local artists in the exhibit.

"I could make them," Martin said. "It would be fun to make these things."

It may be fun, but Pauley, who refused to give his age, points out that you have to have the talent in you first. "I don't care if you are trained in art, you need to possess the talent in the first place."

Pauley was born with that talent in Santa Fe, N.M. At the age of 1, Pauley's family moved to Dallas, Texas.

Back when Pauley was in school, art classes and lessons were a mandatory part of the elementary school curriculum.

"That's how it should be," Pauley said. "Nowadays, schools don't include art in their lessons. It's a shame."

Pauley attended the University of Texas and graduated with a degree in civil engineering. In the years that followed, he did a lot of urban planning and industrial design.

Pauley kept doing art work on the side. "I've always wanted to never make an ordinary thing," he said. Pauley made various types of furniture like chairs and tables, as well as curtain rods and doorknobs. His curtain rods were shown in the magazine Metropolitan Home.

"I feel people are willing to pay more for something that is hand-made," he said.

"They appreciate the work that went into the piece."

A small Pauley dragonfly would sell in Bellingham for about $50. The same dragonfly could sell for $75 in New York. It depends on the location.

"I had remarkable success for a beginner," Pauley said. "People were willing to pay all this money for my work, it was really cool."

The garden art at the library in nothing new to Pauley. In the late 80's, Pauley took advantage of the garden art market shortly after becoming a full time artist.

"People were out in their gardens more and they wanted pieces to go in their garden," he said. Pauley made gates, planters, and whimsical figures of kids and flowers.

The art exhibit isn't the first time Pauley's work has been in youngsters' surroundings. In 1992, Texas Christian University had an open invite to artists in the community to submit pieces that would be on display on campus.

Pauley entered his piece called "Electron Family". The 10 foot tall piece consisted of three steel figures intertwined with one another. TCU chose Pauley's work and rented it from him for $100 a month. "I actually gave my first college lecture there," Pauley said.

One of Pauley's local pieces is the entrance gate to the Rose Garden in Fairhaven. Decorated with two hanging baskets, it supports purple, pink and yellow flowers to give the gate a finishing touch.

In 1993, Pauley and his wife Kate decided to pack up and move out of Texas. "We wanted to move to a cooler climate and Kate wanted to start her own school," Pauley said. While vacationing in Bellingham they found out that Bellingham wanted to start a Montessori school.

Pauley also decided that Bellingham would be a good place for him to produce art and said, "There's enough cool people here in town."

"It takes about five years to really know if you're going to like living in one place and we've been here for about that and we like it," Pauley said. "There is very little distraction."

His Donovan Street house is filled with his art pieces. Doorknobs, curtain rods, and shelf holders are just some of his work that is scattered throughout the house. Outside are gates and garden ornaments and of course, dragonflies.

The dragonflies sway back and forth on windy days. Neighbors and joggers pass by the house and pause for a second or two to admire them.

"They are so cool," neighbor Daina Phillips said. "I see them every time I'm out jogging."

Pauley's art studio is a converted downstairs garage. Heavy glass doors block out the cold of northwest winters.

"A lot of welders like working in cold conditions because your materials and tools get so hot," he said. "Not me, I like it pretty warm." Long metal rods are everywhere, on the floor and on racks on the wall.

Towards the back of the studio is a small room with a desk and some miscellaneous pieces of metal. Pauley does "ink drawings" here, the old-fashioned way of drafting, using Mylar and ink.

"Everyone uses computers for everything," he said. "I didn't have time to learn and read all of the new material."

Pauley makes everything in this studio. Even the huge 128-foot gate, installed last year at the History House Museum in Seattle, was made section by section in the studio.

Among the many shapes on the gate were salmons, crows, and bees. "I wanted to put things that were found here in the Northwest," he said.

"All it takes is one," Pauley laughed. "People see my gates and now I get between four to six calls a week from people asking to design a piece for them."

"There is a satisfaction that you get when you're working on a piece, buffing it, smoothing it. Its hard work," Pauley said. "People, I think, like the handmade designs and the ideas and quality of my pieces."

Pauley is quick to point out that he is not a "mid-career" artist. He is going to do art forever, period.

To him, "Art is a form of play. I'm a big kid and playing. I feel very lucky to be doing something I enjoy."