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Lowell Tasset
Hatteberg's People
Reporter: Larry Hatteberg
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December 4, 2005--Lowell Tasset of Dodge City works a job that used to be the staple of our Western economy….that of a Blacksmith. But now he sees it as an art. With the smell of burning charcoal in the air I found him in the back of his shop in Old Fort Dodge. |
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“This is so much fun, so challenging sometimes, but the creativity end of it is really fun.”
Since 1864, Ft. Dodge in western Kansas has been at history’s doorstep. And in this old building Lowell
Tasset’s blacksmith shop continues a western tradition. But instead of shoeing horses, he produces art of steel.
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“Nature is so unique, trying to copy things from nature is the fun part of this really. Most of the time you have to disassemble a flower just to see how it is put together in order to try to duplicate it.”
There is a ‘heat’ to his art.
“It’s cooling off fast.” |
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It’s a place he can hammer his frustrations into oblivion.
“You can take your frustrations out on a piece of metal pretty easily.”
On the walls of his shop hang cold steel memories of long ago farms—ancient steel that becomes the recycled art of the
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"Yes for me it’s treasure.”
Take this old steel file --- with it, Lowell sees snakes.
“Well, I see snake scales here. I see his tongue and fangs and I see his tale.”
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“What I visualize in my head usually comes out in the final product.”
And from the forge comes this art, unbreakable steel saints, shrouded in mystery, yet with a cold beauty hammered from hot steel.
“The artistic part of it is what drew me to blacksmithing.” |
Now in his Ft. Dodge blacksmith shop, what was once left in a field to rust becomes one of natures wonders, by a man who keeps the old days alive by creating cold beauty from iron and steel.
“There are other things I like to do…I like to fish and things, but this is still more fun.”
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