Brian was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa and comes from a family of artists and gifted handymen. His maternal grandmother was a commercial artist and illustrator during the 1940s and 50s. Brian’s father taught high school art for thirty-five years and is a talented potter and painter. As a result, it is not surprising that Brian has a natural inclination toward this field. Brian’s work is ins
pired by his family’s one hundred year-old family business, Bickel Brothers Sheet Metal Works, which later transformed into Bickel Heating and Air Conditioning. Alongside his grandfather and father, he learned the trade including experimenting with gas pipe and other industrial materials. Both Brian’s grandfather and father were meticulous in their handiwork and their artistic abilities transferred to their trade. He appreciates the strength and perfection of old materials, particularly those handmade and American-made. Brian believes that art can be a medium for facilitating shifts in perception and/or consciousness and may also help mitigate worldly concerns. For him, the creative process has the power to delve into deeper questions such as meaning, purpose, and synchronistic life events. Brian aspires to create works that exemplify mystery, grandeur, and spiritual concepts and symbols. His pieces have appeared in the Iowa State Fair in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017; The Polk County Heritage Gallery in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018; The Octagon Center for the Arts in 2015, Carbondale, Colorado's Art aRound Town public sculpture display 2015-2016, West Des Moines Art on Campus 2017 & 2018, Iowa State Fair-Polk County Master Gardener's Children's Garden 2015-2017 & West End Architectural Salvage in Des Moines, Iowa. Brian has volunteered at the Des Moines Art Center providing guidance and assistance to at-risk high school students. His future goals include expanding and displaying his creative offerings to a wider audience, especially in the community and public art setting. Flying Furnace would like to thank the following businesses for their support:
Bickel Heating & Air-conditioning; Bickel Motors; Billco Corporation; American Plumbing Supply Co.; Plumb Supply Co.; West End Architectural Salvage; Ugly Tree Furniture & Gallery; Cox Design & Fabrication; Etc!graphics, Inc.; Midwest Valve & Fitting; Kansas City Valve & Fitting; MRC Global; Schimberg Co.; Daniel Cassens Photography; Brass Armadillo Antique Mall; Porter Do It Best Hardware; Eldridge Welding & Machine Co.; i Work & Play; Federal Express; United Parcel Service; McCall Monument &; Jason Sytsma @ Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, PLC.
