Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Dave

When I started my undergraduate classes at ASU as a metals major, the metals professor there was Dave Pimentel. Dave started the metals program at ASU sometime in the 70's and was the department head until he passed away in 2004. When he was there the TA office was full of his work. I took these pictures after he passed away but before his things were taken from the studio. I remember walking into the office all the time and just being so awe struck by all of his amazing bowls. These were all raised, meaning they were worked from a single flat disc of copper, slowly hammered into a 3 dimensional form. He was amazing. There were stacks of them, and this was only a portion of his work. He also made really beautiful jewelry which I dont have pictures of, and really large wall sculptures as well. I think about Dave a lot. When I had my first class with him I was terrified of him, I never made eye contact and I tried very hard not to talk to him. Then one day he walked into the studio and threw a bottle of frizz ease shampoo at me and said, "Here, I thought you may need this." He was totally teasing me (I have really curly hair) and after that I was't scared of him anymore. I like people that give me a hard time:) He talked me into going to the Yuma Symposium and I've gone every year since (this year will be my 6th yuma!) He was a big factor in my decision to go to grad school. I remember he sat us down one day in class and gave us a big long lecture about the importance of getting your MFA. I also remember him saying that you aren't a true metalsmith until you've made a teapot. Thats on my list of things to do. He also talked a lot about "that little touch of gold." He told us that if we added just even the smallest amount of gold that it made the work so much more precious and would totally change the feel of a piece. He taught me a lot in the short time that I had him as a professor and I will always remember what he taught me. I hope someday to acquire even half of his knowledge. I wish I had better images of his bowls for you, but I just had to share these photos. The lamps are my favorite, but I have a lot of other favorites in here too:) I am very glad that I had the opportunity to be taught by such a great metalsmith.



3 comments:

Lora Hart said...

Wow! Those are spectacular. What a wonderful experience you had working with him. Thanks for introducing me to his work.

danielle embry said...

Lynnette, what a great post on Dave's legacy. Its nice to see the pictures of all the bowls... I remember seeing them piled like that in his office. I really miss him too!

Liesl Pimentel said...

Lynette,
It's the anniversary of my father's passing today and I Googled his name to see what would come up 9 years after his death. Your blog post was a wonderful find, and your memories of him brought a smile to my face as they blended with my own memories. After my dad died, I helped my mom clean out his studio office and the room in which you took these photos. Back then it brought back fond memories of hanging out in and exploring the studio as a kid (there was ALWAYS something to discover in there!), and your photos took me back to both times ... happy and sad. Thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about my dad from your eyes. Of course I'm proud to hear of the impact he had on your life. Of course, I can say the same of my own as well. He was an amazing artist and a great dad!
-Liesl Pimentel