"Art embellishes life. Everyone deserves to enjoy original art in his or her home, office, and garden. My goal is to create a wide variety of interesting and dramatic pieces that are available to patrons with a modest budget for artwork, and have fun while I'm doing it. I love working with all types of metal and creating art from reclaimed materials. I see art in remnants and acquire materials from a variety of interesting and sometimes unusual places. My work continually evolves and I enjoy exploring new techniques, processes, and materials. My extensive travel throughout the world and particularly in Southeast Asia has been extremely influential in developing my own design style. I am most influenced by Asian and Art Deco design. My belief is that the two compliment each other and work well with many architectural styles. I also enjoy Retro designs and patterns, along with Cubism and Abstract art.
I've been fascinated with metal fabrication and construction since I was a teenager at Seattle's Roosevelt High School in 1977. I occasionally worked with metal for artistic and functional applications during a 21 year career with the US Army. After my retirement from service, I decided to pursue my lifelong passion for metal work.
I always enjoy people's reactions when they discover I was previously an Army Ranger and Army Special Forces soldier (Green Beret). It's very rare for us to pursue art as a second career. I attended the Welding Fabrication program at South Seattle Community College where I learned advanced welding techniques, layout, fabrication, and blacksmithing. I have extensive knowledge of finishing processes, including; texture and polish, traditional patinas, heat patinas and commercial coatings.
I am always eager to work with clients to create custom designed art and installations for their home or business. Feel free to contact Oasis Art Gallery to begin the commission process. I look forward to sharing my newest designs and sculptures with you in my upcoming exhibition April 23 to July 10." - Chris Lemmen
