Though only 18, Brackendale artist Jack Fawcett has his life off to a creative and promising start.
The Whistler Waldorf School grad is the artist behind many of the popular pieces at Whistler Metal Works, a new shop that opened in Function Junction last year.
The Chief caught up with Fawcett in the shop for a chat about his art, what inspires him and life in Squamish.
What follows is an edited version of that conversation.
Q: Have you always been artistic and how did you got into metal work?
A: Being artistic has always been a big thing. I attended the Whistler Waldorf School starting in Grade 2, so art has always been a big part of my education. With metal work, last summer it started off as a regular summer job working with my dad [local metal fabricator known as, Bob The Welder] and has turned into a whole gap year thing. I have really started to get into it. It is going really well.
Q: For people who haven’t seen your work, tell me about some of the things you create for Whistler Metal Works — I see a lot of tree imagery.
A: I create trees and we create clocks and other things. A lot of the pieces that aren’t specifically trees are older pieces or custom. We are trying to stick with trees as our ‘thing,’ because it blends the elements of nature, industry and technology all together and I think that is really cool because of the live-edge wood that we use from local trees, and the technology of the CNC machine and all the metal we use blends really nicely together.
Q: Walk me through how you create a piece, such as the trees on wood panels that are at the Brackendale Art Gallery.
A: I need to find my inspiration first, so that can be something I see on the internet, or a drawing. I do the drawing on a computer program called CAD — computer-aided design — and once the drawing is finished on there, I run it through another computer program. Then I put the metal onto a machine and it cuts the design out. Then I clean it off. We have a team of welders as well that also help with the manufacturing process. It is a big team process and at the end we can say it is all put together nicely.
Q: I know this is a hard question because art is variable and complex, but about how long does it take to make a piece.
A: I can definitely turn out something in a day, usually.
Q: Is creating an art piece a little bit like writing stories in that sometimes you get into a zone and everything goes smoothly and other times you sort of get stuck?
A: Definitely, and there can be technical difficulties with the machines too.
Q: Primarily, who are your customers?
A: It varies. A lot of people are in the construction business. We have done large installation pieces such as fences and we made a large 8X8 wall on the side of someone’s house. It is really beautiful. Other work is custom and then pieces are sold at craft fairs.
Q: I know your work has been displayed at the Brackendale Art Gallery and Squamish Coun. Susan Chapelle has a piece in her new not-for-profit office venture, Aligned Collective. A deer head from Whistler Metal Works is also displayed at Triton Automotive and Industrial. Where can people reading this buy your stuff locally other than travelling up to Whistler?
A: The downtown Squamish store, Empire of Dirt has some of our pieces.
Q: What is the metal you work with?
A: We usually use a quarter inch aluminum, which is super light, doesn’t rust and has a really nice 3D effect to it. We also use a milder, thinner steel for some pieces.
Q: What inspires you as an artist?
A: That is a really hard question because it can come from anything. One thing is when I drive home from Whistler to Squamish— that is really beautiful. I like to look at the trees on the side of the highway and think about how tall they actually are and that makes me think about trees I can draw. On that drive is definitely when I do a lot of my thinking.
Q: You moved to Squamish in the summer. What do you think of the direction the town is headed and what is next for you?
A: More people are moving here and it is growing.
In terms of our business, there has been some really good interest from the Squamish community. I think the main thing right now is that we are a new business so the next step is getting our name out there more.
For more on the shop and Fawcett’s work go to Whistler Metal Works on Facebook and Instagram or www.whistlermetalworks.com/.
