Creative spirit burns bright in New River artist

MARC BUCKHOUT ~ MANAGING EDITOR ~7/6/2011

Tom Dunlap chuckles that he got kicked out of the only art class he ever took, way back during his high school days. Despite the early rejection the 62-year-old New River resident said he always knew he had a knack for creating things.
Up until recently though he never would have considered himself an artist, a label even now he doesn’t seem quite comfortable with.
“I’m just a hick from North Carolina having a ball making stuff,” he said. “I’m not really artsy-fartsy.”
While he is reluctant to accept the label, Dunlap has been alerted to the idea that he does have an artistic gift; one he now hopes will ignite and perhaps burn brightly for the foreseeable future.
In Dunlap’s words he “paints with fire.” Armed with an inexpensive wood burning tool Dunlap burns and carves pictures into basswood.
The former mechanic’s current focus is completing a series of 12 historic fire trucks for the Hall of Flame, located at 6101 East Van Buren St. in Phoenix. The museum, with more than 90 fully restored pieces of fire apparatus on display dating from 1725 to 1969, already has the first five in the series that Dunlap has completed on display.
Dunlap worked for Pierce Manufacturing, which builds fire trucks, for five years before being laid off last year.
After getting laid off Dunlap turned to art to keep him busy, a trend that has consistently resurfaced through his life.
“I was living in California in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and I hurt my knee pretty bad,” he said. “I needed a cane to get around and this old guy I was working with gave me this set of carving tools and suggested I should make myself my own cane.”
Dunlap said he started to get pretty intricate with his carving skills until he had to have back surgery due to some nerve issues. The surgery left him weak in the legs, which adversely affected his ability to carve. It was at that point that he started experimenting with his current art form, using the instrument to burn the wood.
“I like the smell of the wood and the smell when it’s burning,” he said. “It’s really challenging to get it right. If you make a mistake you end up spending a lot of time sanding to fix it. My work, it’s really meditative. Sometimes I’ll sit there all day. This house could be on fire and I wouldn’t know it.”
After working as a repair man on fire trucks for five years, Dunlap said choosing them
as a subject matter was an obvious choice.
“I want things to be realistic, so if I don’t have the expertise I need to find people that do and talk to them,” he said.
After finishing the burning/carving process Dunlap adds color to his pieces.
In addition to the fire trucks he helped a friend illustrate a book on successfully playing Craps.
Western art, specifically focusing on horses and cowboys, is another area Dunlap thinks he might be able to find a market.
“The wood burning gives it an aged look,” he said. “I think focusing on rodeo events and that sort of thing makes a lot of sense especially in this area.”
Beyond his “fire with art” endeavors, Dunlap also takes on other projects putting his creative skills to use, whether it’s building a spice cabinet with a carving of a dragon on the doors, a drum holder, a walking stick made out of the skeleton of a cactus, or a new lamp just to name a few.
“I can see things in my head, how they’ll come together and usually I can make what I envision,” he said.
The New River resident, since 2002, has a workshop with a sign over the door emblazed “Tommy Town, Where all things are weird,” in his backyard where he says he has everything he needs to thrive.
“I’ve got my television with the satellite, a fridge full of beer, my tools and some wood,” he said. “I like it out here. I can make a mess and it doesn’t matter.”
The Army Veteran, who served from 1966-69, said he spent 25 years driving an 18-wheeler alone with his thoughts as he dealt with his military experience.
Now he says his lifetime full of experiences serve him well.
“My wife and I have been married 27 years and I remember telling her when we got married that we might not ever be rich, but we’ll have an interesting life,” he said. “I’ve done a lot and I think it helps me have a perspective for my art. The greatest thing is when you move somebody with something you’ve made. That’s what it’s all about.”
To view samples of Dunlap’s work go to ArtByDunlap.com