Clay and metal

ASSESSING THE DAMAGE: The cause of the fire on Oct. 12 at the Town Center Hotel in Santa Maria (pictured here on Oct. 15) is suspected to be arson. Close to 50 of the hotel’s residents are now living at the Minami Center, but public safety officials are looking for more housing options. Credit: PHOTO BY JOE PAYNE

Harold Collins loves playing with fire. And pounding metal. And sometimes gingerly piecing together stained glass within a solid frame.

But his knack for taking these elements and creating a work of art comes from years of wrangling with metal as a medium, an effort that started when his career ended.

Collins retired from AT&T and served as what he called a “tag along spouse” to his wife, who continued to work for the company. They moved from their home in Dallas to San Francisco, then Georgia, and finally back to Dallas. That’s when Collins opened the Dallas Morning News to find a story about the local college art welding class. He was looking for something to delve into, so the class intrigued him.

WHAT A DISH: Sharon Collins artistically molds ceramics into pieces like this dish, but she also dabbles in tile work and stained glass. Credit: PHOTO COURTESY KAREN MILLER-TUNNELL

“I went to talk to the instructor, ended up taking the class, and I loved it,” he said. “I’ve been doing it in the 15 years since.”

When his wife and he moved to Santa Maria, he brought that skill with him. He began teaching classes at Allan Hancock College, and his lessons quickly grew in popularity—and not just with art students. High-profile professionals tend to sign up for his class, too.

“A lot of my students come to class to release stress,” he explained. “You just get rid of all your inhibition and just pound metal.”

CLAY PLAY: Sharon Collins, having grown up in California, enjoys creating art with an ocean theme, as seen in this ceramic bowl Credit: PHOTO BY JEREMY THOMAS

Collins will show his work alongside work from his wife Sharon at Santa Maria’s Gold Coast Art ’n Frames this month. Sharon focuses her talent on ceramics, tile work, and stained glass, usually with an ocean theme. Harold said exhibiting their work together suits them, often so much so that they join forces to create.

“We do a lot of things together, like bird baths, that sort of thing, with a ceramic bowl and metal base,” Harold said.

UNDER THE SEA: Harold Collins pounds metal until it twists and turns into art, as with this ocean-themed piece titled Ocean Frolic. Credit: PHOTO COURTESY GARY BRANDES, GOLD COAST FRAMES

Despite their collaboration, he’s not afraid to give his wife credit where credit is due.

“Some of the projects I do,” he admitted, “some of the ideas I follow through with are actually Sharon’s ideas.”

Arts Editor Shelly Cone likes to get credit where credit is due. Find her at the Gap, Banana Republic, or Sephora or by e-mailing scone@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Aug 19-26, 2010.