Media Releases
Branching Out
October 6 , 2006 -
When Dean Rehpohl's 17-year-old freelance business designing corporate presentations and creating animated product demonstrations took a hard hit following 9/11, he knew he was going to have to branch out his creative skills for additional income. The question was, how?
To begin with, Rehpohl took a job as an art teacher at New Life Academy in Woodbury. For two years, he worked with the students and found himself inspired by the learning environment and hands-on approach that his computer design work had lacked.
"I really enjoyed working with kids on their projects and watching them be inspired. I also started seeing some other artwork that inspired me - particularly different outdoor aluminum and stainless steel sculptures that I came across - and I knew that I was interested in creating some work of my own in that medium," said Rehpohl.
Knowing that he wanted to work with metals, Rehpohl made the decision to enroll in a welding class offered at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) after learning about it from a friend.
"I had gone to a university early in my life and didn't like the hassle of it. I wanted this one specialized class, so it worked well for me to go to DCTC," said Rehpohl.
While attending the class, Rehpohl inquired to the instructor about using a gas torch and found it to be his preferred sculpting tool.
"I appreciated the instructor showing me how to use that tool because it was what I was looking for. Working with steel is like working with hot clay. It is quick to work with and you don't have to wait for anything to set up to make changes or see your results," said Rehpohl.
After his class at DCTC, Rehpohl began putting his newly acquired skills into practice, dabbling and welding together a few human figures. Then, inspired by the diversity of Minnesota's trees, Rehpohl began experimenting with small-scale, welded trees and taking them to art shows. People reacted to the sculptures with enthusiasm, and it became clear that Rehpohl had an idea with potential.
"People were really interested in the sculptures and thought they very unique," said Rehpohl.
Because of the unique nature of his work, Rehpohl was limited in finding inspiration from other artists. That is, until he created a black olive tree for a member of the Minnesota Bonsai Association and found their practices to be very similar to his.
He began attending meetings, reading Bonsai books, going to Bonsai classes, and even met with a Bonsai master from New Jersey to learn this ancient art of making something small look full-grown. After this learning experience, he was able to increase the complexity of his trees.
When building a tree, Rehpohl uses his oxy-acetylene torch, diamond-encrusted stone saw, and his hammer and anvil. The piece usually begins with 22-guage sheet metal formed to create a trunk and 'grows' through the addition of rods that get increasingly smaller as they are added. Depending on the complexity, the pieces can take several days to several weeks to complete, with some having more than 2200 welds.
"I have only been working with trees for the past three years, but the way that I sculpt and the designs have evolved a lot. And, I am interested in possibly taking another class and doing larger-scale pieces," said Rehpohl.
Rehpohl's work is on display at the Art Resources gallery in Edina, Tamarack Galleries in Stillwater, and the Kulak Art Company in Woodbury. He also attends various shows throughout the year. The prices of Rehpohl's tree sculptures range from $75-$2100.
To learn more, visit his Web site at www.r-tree.com.