Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 63 CHARLES GEARY ARTIST-METALSMITH MONTANA STONE AND STEEL, OVANDO Meeting Charles Geary is like meeting Montana. He's wide-ranging, lean, and hardy. Focused. He's many other things, too: artist, retired pastor, machinist, and blacksmith. He creates decorative and functional art from stone and steel. You can find his talent not just in the pieces he creates to sell but also in his tools and equipment. Part of the genius in his work is his remodeling of the tools he uses. It took him over a year to begin creating his pieces back in 2010 because first, he had to make an air hammer. From scratch. "Well, I had to make my own because a new one cost $15,000." He crafted the "Iron Maiden," as he's named his creation, from parts and pieces he's bought or found. "I bought the plans for an air hammer. They left out a lot about how to build the tool but there was enough there that I could fill in the rest." He's made or remodeled most of the tools he uses to create his pieces. As functional art, his pieces are decorative and at the same time serve a purpose. Some of the objects Charles has created include stone and steel entry tables, coffee tables, and end tables. And he even applies his art to gusset plates to lend ser- viceability and beauty to cabins and timber-frame construction projects. "I find my inspiration in the material I'm work- ing with. Every piece is different due to the stone. Sometimes I'm working on a piece and I think it will be one thing but then I make a mistake and it turns out it was supposed to be something else." Charles Geary was born in Missoula but lived for twenty-four years at the end of Kleinschmidt Flats Road in Ovando, just down the road from where he lives today. He attended college at Walla Walla Uni- versity where he majored in theology and minored in industrial arts. "My father wanted me to become a machinist and to honor his request, I minored in industrial arts." Charles sells his work at the Seeley Lake Farmers Market and at the Ovando, Helmville, and Avon Christmas festivals. He also makes custom pieces to order. Montana Stone and Steel, 2280 Kleinschmidt Flat Rd, Ovando MT 59854. 406-793-1726 cell 406- 499-804. "My proce has changed over the years. IT'S PURE EXPERIMENT. THERE'S MORE CONFIDENCE. MY STORY COMES OUT ON THE CANVAS." "I find my inspiration IN THE MATERIAL I'M WORKING WITH. EVERY PIECE IS DIFFERENT DUE TO THE STONE." MOTION FOREST

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