What is Burner Man trying to tell you?

Written by Dave Gallagher | The Bellingham Herald | July 29, 2011

Burner Man resides on Marine Drive

Here’s a press release from Appliance Depot about an interesting piece of art at its facility:

Local sculptor, arts educator, and recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Award, Thor Myhre, has installed a new piece of publicly accessible art on Bellingham’s Marine Drive at Appliance Depot.  The 10-foot metal sculpture, titled “Burner Man,” incorporates stove burner grates and other appliance parts into the road-side spectacle.

The piece is vintage Myhre, who has built his reputation working with found objects and recycled materials. The artist considers himself a treasure hunter who visits trash sites, recycling centers, second-hand shops, and garage sales.  In this case, he found his inspiration at Appliance Depot, who together with Z Recyclers, provided Myhre with the materials he needed for this work.

Appliance Depot is a nonprofit job training business that salvages appliances for reuse and also provides parts for artists and tinkerers.  Their annual Appliance Art Revival features artists like Myhre who see infinite possibilities in junk.

“We are so fortunate to have an artist like Thor in our community,” said Appliance Depot executive director, Duane Jager.  A piece like “Burner Man” is what makes Bellingham and Whatcom County both unique and special.

“Those who have seen the new installation are especially captured by Burner Man’s eyes, which are actually gas stove burner caps that look askance toward the Appliance Depot store front.”

On his website, www.thormyhre.com, the artist says, “Junk has a life of its own.  It’s gone through a history.  With that experience it’s able to tell you a story.”

On your next driving tour, check out Burner Man on Marine Drive and ask yourself, ‘What is it telling me?’