Gordon Dobson

Gordon Dobson | Metal Artist at Steffich Fine Art

Gordon Dobson has spent all his life on B.C.s coast. Though born in Burnaby, Gordon was raised in Victoria. After high school he ventured to Vancouver. He found his way into the thriving film industry doing graphics, prop fabrication and working on set as a property assistant.

Gordon found he wasn't cut out for city life and so his career in film was short lived. Seeking simplicity and finding great peace in nature, the Gulf Islands were a perfect fit for Gordon. It was on Denman Island in 2006 when a good friend asked him for help with a copper wire project. Wirework came seemingly natural to him and things blossomed from there. Before long Gordon was scrounging the scrapyard for wire, copper pipe, then brass and all other manner of non-ferrous metal bits and pieces to use.

Gordon has always been fascinated by creatures of flight, especially dragons and other mythical beasts, common subjects of his. He likens his creative process to a metamorphosis. As a pheonix rises from ashes a bird or dragon emerges from a pile of metal scrap.

A passionate gardener, Gordon has been working on creating a small scale market garden on Saturna Island, his home now for the last 8 years. He does a range of odd jobs, from carpentry and painting to landscaping and gutters to get by.

Being environmentally conscientious, it is important to Gordon to use almost exclusively second hand material. The last couple of years he has focused on utilizing silverplated flatware as his primary medium. He has been exploring woodcarving and aspires to merge the two crafts in his future creations.