PIPES AND BEAMS - The owner of Malibu Welding, Doug Tharalson has used the materials he earns a living with to create art works that can be found in communities stretching from Mendocino County to Malibu.  His four children have started creating their own original metal sculptures as well.
 
 

  The 46-year-old owner of Malibu Welding resides in the Cornell area, on two and one-half acres, with his wife Diana, a Swiss native of Italian descent, and their four children: Milena. 14; Oliver, 10; Stella, six and Isabella, two.

  The Pasadena native, who moved to this location in 1987, has worked with his wife to create a personal oasis, rich with art, nature and family love. 

  His office and studio are located on the grounds. Everything he cares about—his family, his art, his work. animals and home— are within his arm's, and influence's, reach. "I consider myself very lucky to be able to earn a living from the comfort of my home ' and provide a creative atmosphere for my family and friends to enjoy," he said.

Tharalson has reached beyond the welding of pipes and beams for industry's sake to develop art from the industrial materials that surround him. He has created numerous free-standing and mounted sculptures that dot the landscape of his home and the communities where he has lived, including Mendocino County and Big Sur in Northern California.

 

 He now directs his children in creating their own original metal sculptures. "Children are the most fun to work with," said Tharalson. "With the slightest prompting, they simply take off into these wonderful places in their imagination that adults have forgotten access."

He now directs his children in creating their own original metal sculptures. "Children are the most fun to work with," said Tharalson. "With the slightest prompting, they simply take off into these wonderful places in their imagination that adults have forgotten access."

But it is a childlike enthusiasm that lends credence to Tharalson's exuberance. This is a man who says he is not driven by the desire to earn, but by the passion to create.

When important events come to pass, Tharalson seizes the opportunity to commemorate with a vengeance. His works, "Haley's Comma" and "Hurricane," are testimony to his Firm belief in the importance of time, events and preserved history. At the time "Hurricane" was conceived and created, hurricanes by the names of Douglas and Diana were wreaking havocinthe Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. "The medium of welding carbon steel carries with it a feeling of permanence," said Tharalson. "As I work on a sculpture, I sometimes think to myself about the people that may put their hands on it three hundred years from now and wonder about the person who took the time to create such a thing."

Tharalson takes time to devise what he calls "the art of now." Made of recognizable items (muffler pipes, I-beams, horseshoes, chains, tube steel), his sculpture draws the observer in, to examine more closely, to identify and to interpret as they'd like.

"Bringing ideas to reality." he said with degeneration, "is the difference between man and animal. If you don't use that ability, you will stagnate right where you sit. It is a crime against the universe not to use that gift."

The tall, slightly weathered father has taken every opportunity to use his gifts and share his passions with his children, encouraging them in whatever creative endeavor they indicate an interest in. They have illustrated and written -books together, drawn cartoons together and supported Diana in her design of the family's 600-square-foot kitchen and in the breeding of West Highland white Terriers and pot-bellied pigs. Ten-year-old Oliver now shows interest in design himself, aspiring to be an architect.

But the most striking creative endeavor that Tharalson and brood engage in together is metal sculpting. The three elder children have already produced numerous pieces, and little Isabella appears sure to follow suit. Six-year-old Stella has expressed the most interest in Tharalson's artistic ventures. She has directed him in the fabrication of numerous pieces, two of which have been sold. The works, which are entitled "Daniel Miller Having Dinner" and "The Green Forest," consist of scrap metal from Tharalson's welding business that Stella herself chose and decided the placement of. She directs her father and stands back while he uses the torch to bring her ideas to reality. Afterwards, she paints each sculpture and names it. One of her most recent works carries the whimsical name "Where Many Lobsters Are." 

 

Now, Tharalson has a new vision for the direction of his work, involving other people. He wants to lend his expertise to individuals who want tio try their own hand at metal sculpture but do not have the welding experience or equipment to do it themselves. Tharalson has the wherewithal to build a massive sculpture or the smallest candelabrum. Visiting sculptors would be able to choose from Tharalson's vast stockpile of scrap iron, beams, pipes and miscellaneous metals and then direct him as to how they want the piece assembled.

"What I'd like to be able to offer to a select group of people is what I can show them I've found out," he said. "I can take scrap metal and turn it into a piece that is comparable to any museum piece I've seen anywhere in the world." "Just six hours can mean an adult has an original piece of art that will survive to his great-great-grandchildren and it will have his name on it. It makes him the artist." 

He hopes that fostering the creativity of other Malibuites will inspire more art gallery space solely for the work of Malibu artists. Tharalson would like to see the community get behind local artists. "There is so much local talent here. It should be recognized. It should be seen."

But first and foremost, he wants to keep the tradition of creativity alive in his life and continuing in his children. "Whatever it is you've got. keep going with that. That's my message, to nurture your ability."

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BY SHANNON SILVA
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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