At the old P.I.G.S. gas station in Patagonia, behind the red Tamales y Tacos Elisa food truck and festive seating area, new art takes form at Dan McCabe’s metalworking studio. McCabe bends, rolls, welds, and assembles striking pieces that feature organic forms in clean-line settings.
McCabe and his wife, Lorina, discovered Patagonia “by chance” in 2020 on a Covid-era camper van trip exploring southern Arizona. New empty-nesters after 21 years in Prescott, they were stunned by this area’s beauty and birds. Still inspired when they returned six months later, they met local artist Paula Wittner through mutual friends, and the decision to move here took shape. They met more people, and Wittner helped keep an eye out for studio and living space. Things finally fell into place in late 2023 when the gas station building became available, and Dan and Lorina moved to Patagonia.
McCabe’s introduction to metalworking came at age 19 as an apprentice in a fine art bronze foundry in Sedona, where he learned the processes and made parts for other artists’ designs. Having lost most of his hearing to spinal meningitis as a baby, McCabe’s heightened senses of vision and touch fueled his curiosity and focus about the intricacies of how things work.
McCabe’s first piece of his own design was an entertainment table made in 1985 with found metal objects from the historic town of Jerome. Self-taught as an artist, and encouraged by Lorina and several mentors, McCabe’s style evolved over the years as he explored contrasts between curves, lines, textures and materials.
Curving lines over smooth surfaces are also part of McCabe’s other passion, skateboarding. As a youngster in Huntington Beach, California, McCabe fell in love with the sense of flow and freedom. “When I’m skateboarding, there are no rules, nobody saying ‘good’ or ‘bad,’” he said. “I’m immersed in the experience—like with art.”
Mixing his interests, McCabe has lined his studio with rows of vintage skateboards. With plenty of friends in skateboarding circles, McCabe rides most Sundays with an “old folks group” at the Santa Rita skatepark in Tucson. “It’s good exercise, and develops focus and mind-body balance,” he said.
These days, McCabe’s artistic inspirations come from seeing unlikely contrasts where nature has adapted to man-made settings, such as a bird nest in the niche of a wall.
His favorite part of artmaking is the problem-solving steps to turn an idea into parts, and then into an assembled sculpture. “I like to come up with an idea and design, then brainstorm how to make it happen,” he said. “For me, it’s about the process.”
McCabe’s pieces have won several “Best in Category” and “Best in Show” awards in prestigious juried art fairs.
He will be showing his work at his booth at the Patagonia Fall Festival on October 12-13. He looks forward to meeting more of his Patagonia area neighbors.
To learn more about McCabe’s artwork, visit DanMcCabemetal.com