RON NORMAN has
been creating things out of metal since he was a young boy growing up on Lopez
Island. He began welding at the age of
eight. His early years were often spent
in his father’s repair shop, with his twin brother-----taking things apart and
putting them back together again. As a
young man he worked in three different welding shops. He also spent many years driving trucks and
working in the timber industry.
RON NORMAN left Lopez for awhile, and then returned----to open up his own repair and fabrication business. In between the carburetors, transmissions, lawnmowers and car repairs-----RON NORMAN started working with steel in a completely different way--------and from his hands came herons and salmon, eagles and ducks. |

“I use an oxy-acetylene torch, wire-feed welder, grinders, pliers, hammers, and whatever is within reach. Everything is cut free-hand and each piece is unique, not mass produced. I rarely draw things out on paper-----I usually just grab a piece of chalk and sketch something directly on the steel. Then I fire up my torch and start cutting. Some people prefer the very clean lines from a plasma torch----you can even computerize a design with it, and then make the same thing over and over and over again. I, myself, love the raw, rough, and wild cutting that comes from an acetylene torch------it brings so much more depth, life, and always some unpredictability to the metal surfaces.”
The photos that you see here are just a sample of some of RON NORMAN’S work. All of Ron’s work is individually designed and created. Some of these pieces have been sold and are displayed in private collections or in public places.
RON NORMAN norfeld1@gmail.com 360.622.8568
RON NORMAN norfeld1@gmail.com 360.622.8568