Sharolyn Schofield

Medium: Woodworking/Metals

CREATIVE BEGINNINGS: Sharolyn’s first encounter with metalwork was in a 6th grade shop class full of boys in Flint, Michigan, where she soldered and riveted together a little tin box. She was proud of it and her mother kept it. Many years later, a metalsmithing class she took just for fun at an Idaho university solidified how much she enjoyed melting metal into functional objects, and from there her life expanded into the world of art.

ARTISTIC PATH: Several years before Chris became Sharolyn’s lifelong partner, he completed his BFA in sculpture, and had created multiple public arts in various metals, stone, marble, concrete and other mediums. The only thing missing he said, was the female balance.

“He was right,” she said.

Only a few weeks after they met, Chris handed a welding torch to Sharolyn and she said, “Yes”. Their first big (of many big) sculptures was a city entrance — a 72-foot steel arch over a four lane underpass. Sharolyn had her structural welding certification by then, which sounds impressive, but really it just means welding thick metal to thick metal and having it pass while the inspector is looking over your shoulder.

Over the last 20 years, this dynamic duo raised four incredible kids AND somehow kept the bills paid with mostly art. A mix of residential and commercial, architectural and extraneous, they fabricated multiple children’s museum exhibits, headstones, intricate railings, entrances, and accents. They built huge Idaho potatoes that have become iconic; one that travels around the country on tour @bigidahopotato, one that became an Airbnb in Boise and one that glows from inside and drops every New Year’s Eve in Boise @idahopotatodrop. A recent project was a giant, realistic peanut that will soon become an Airbnb in Texas, @texaspeanutpod. And then there’s Bart! An 8’ tall Bartlett pear that will sit next to Apple Valley Country Store here in Hood River. They’ve found that BIG art is fun art.

INSPIRATION AND PROCESS: Sharolyn and Chris operated a tree service up until they moved to the Gorge in 2020. In that same year, they started up The Dee Mill where they recycle logs from local tree services and mill them into slabs. Eventually, some find use in Sharolyn’s bespoke table and furniture builds. Her creations of aesthetically gratifying but amply functional furnishings have become her jam, with custom pieces for client’s homes and unique pieces for the 301 Gallery.

Typically, Sharolyn will choose a wood piece from the Mill that catches her eye, then decides what style of base it needs. She lays out various metal parts on the welding table, arranging them until the geometric structure makes sense. How and where the different pieces come together and line up are all little details she finds significant. She enjoys the little imbalances, like leaving a bit of steel corner exposed by the natural shape of the wood edges, or the organic way the metal responds to an acidic patina. Sharolyn’s life and work are both fluid and curious, imperfectly perfect.

LIFE AS A GORGE ARTIST: The Schofield’s live in Parkdale and work together almost every day designing, bantering, and building who- knows-what, including their own house: a modern, strawbale home that feels like a warm hug for their busy family. They enjoy all of the year- round, outdoor adventures Mt. Hood has to offer like skiing, snowboarding, skijoring, mountain biking, kayaking, gardening, etc. But their true artistic inspiration comes from sunny days with no schedule or have-to’s, good snacks and hanging out with their fun kids.

HOW TO LEARN MORE:

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