Meet Denny Croston.
With pioneer origins going back to Issaquah`s early days in 1893, Denny can claim a sense of local history that escapes most of us. Perhaps that partially accounts for the artistic vision he has for all things old, rusty, and discarded. With a flourish of his welding equipment, a little musical accompaniment, and a great sense of humor, this maker will surprise and delight art fans of all ages and walks of life.
Denny delights in people’s reactions to his work: “I have the most fun when showing my creations to people, looking at the smiles and facial expressions of wonder and amazement as they discover my various reuses of discarded items in a totally delightful new way”.
His process is directed by his ability to put seemingly random objects together in his head. “My creations are made from scrap metal and junk. I try to select the pieces of metal that have the size and shape I see in my head. All put together they form a whole new object of art. I try not to manufacture any of the parts. I use existing shapes of metal with little or no alteration”. Denny listens to music in his shop while he`s working, and likes Celtic Woman, Enya, pan flutes and soft guitar music to get him in a creative mood. The soothing sounds help channel his thoughts away from the day-to-day details of life and to think about how his materials come together.
While he doesn`t have a formal education in art, he comes to his creations after more than thirty years in construction and facilities management, and there isn`t much he can’t do after all that experience. He`s been having fun with his yard art and sculpture works for about ten years. Recognition for his talents has been growing strongly, and you`ll see many of his public installations around Issaquah. A large bouquet of metal flowers commissioned by Port Blakely can be found in the Issaquah Highlands; his garden gate for the Issaquah Flatland Community Garden is a showstopper. He recently took third place on his first try
at the Puyallup Fair sculpture competition. One of his latest pieces, a heron fashioned from chrome car parts, is an exquisite addition to the artEAST Rookery Project, on display at the art center October 18th through November 3rd.
Denny will be one of the artists at the Sammamish Arts Fair, Oct 13th and 14th, and he`s looking forward to introducing you to his latest creations. Fair details are at http://sammamishartsfair.wordpress.com/. You can also see his work in many eastside area art galleries, nurseries, art shows, yards, and at www.DennysYardArt.com.
