Rude Designs: Artist

Don has been welding for over 28 years, starting at Joliet (IL) Township High School's Adult Education Division and continuing in the Navy. After gaining work experience in the pipe and weld shop on-board the submarine tender, USS Jason, he attended the Navy's C-1 Welding School. This school specialized in the welding of high pressure piping systems on Navy vessels. In 1984, Don joined the Boilermaker's Union and became a certified Journeyman Welder at Honolulu Shipyard (HI), later transferring to Local #6 in Oakland (CA.

After leaving the Boilermaker's Union, Don spent the next several years as a carpenter doing extensive remodels and new home construction in Marin. Simultaneously, he discovered his talent for writing comedy. By 1989, he landed a featured spot on the Morning Show at 92.3 KSJO. While still working his day-job, Don went on to write and produce comedy bits for five Bay Area radio stations before finding a home at 106.1 KMEL in 1991. During his seven years at KMEL, Don wrote and produced comedy bits, parodies, and prank-calls, produced the "Rick Chase Show", and eventually had his own late night show.
In 1998, when late-nights had taken their toll, Don started using his welding skills to create metal sculpture and functional art. Since 1999, Don's work has been exhibited and commissioned in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has pieces in private collections throughout the United States and has juried numerous sculpture exhibits and competitions. From 1999 through 2006, Don headed the Welding Department and taught welded sculpture at The Crucible, an educational collaboration of arts, industry, and community located in Oakland (CA).

My work unintentionally offers a straightforward interpretation of recycling as adaptive re-use. The discarded metal objects and scraps are transformed into art, sometimes functional. The concept of infusing life into trash is not one that is unique in art. There are many sculptors who personally interact with the recycling process and interrupt the usual cycle of manufacture-use-discard by introducing their creative hand. In the art world of overblown writing and concepts, my sculpture could be interpreted as a profound commentary on the culture of consumption or that I confront the viewer and require the rethinking of the question, "when does an object become trash?" I, however, have never thought that deeply about what I do, but it gives me great pleasure, on many levels, knowing most of my sculpture has ended up back in the home of the consumer.

Don Carlson’s mix of sculpture and furniture is marked by ingenius design, disarming humor, and a curious beauty. Don maximizes the inherent allure of found objects and natural patinas by combining them with lustrous paints and a savvy design sense. His craftsmanship gives groaning jokes and scrap metal a new radiance. This is not a junk aesthetic. This is junk lovingly transformed for the home without losing its connection to the industrial world or the vacant lot.

Trisha Kyner, Instructor, California State University, Hayward

It’s been said that life imitates art. It is also rumored that art imitates life - especially the life of its creator. In the case of Don Carlson, the latter could not be more truthful. Don seems to lack that pesky Superego that threatens to suppress or regulate the Id in all of us. He looks at the world with a childlike, honest curiosity and posits questions about his surroundings that may, at times, seem inappropriate or even offensive to the faint of heart. This freedom allows him a startling ability to see potential in scrap and raw materials and express himself limitlessly, uninhibitedly, and without conscience. But to say that he is “childlike” is an insult to his finished product. His creations demonstrate his inherent artistry, professionalism, and flat out genius. He is a proverbial “Rorschach Savant,” that refuses to envision only one possible conception of an object presented to him.

Don’s creations, although clearly unique, possess an otherworldly, Tim Burton-esque quality. His awe-inspiring lamps, born of oil drums, manhole covers, fallen streetlight poles, or whatever inspires him, need not be plugged in to reveal what they have to offer. But when you do plug one in, be prepared for a subtle, yet spectacular display of color, shape, and design. And as smoke billows out of the nostrils of a monster with gnarled feet, menacing jaws, and gangly antennae, is it difficult to imagine that this creature is as functional as your backyard barbecue as it is an exquisite work of art. His vision is not limited to these items, however. He produces much more, all of which appeal to collectors of all ages, experiences, budgets and tastes.

Angela McCourt

It is rare to find someone not only artistically talented, but organized and earnest enough to manage his craft professionally. I am very impressed with Don Carlson’s inventiveness and his talent to put elements together. Since discovering the artist within himself only less than 3 years ago, he has created a portfolio and made the necessary contacts that go far to establish himself as an outstanding member of the artist community. Throughout all of my dealings with him, I can say that he possesses great communication skills, a willingness to please, and a winning positive attitude, as well as the passion and imagination that will make the best use of his talents.

Susan Strolis, Director, V. Breier Gallery