Palmer sculptor heats up the art scene

Pat Garley in his Palmer studio. Photo: Ellen Lockyer, KSKA-Anchorage
The technique of bronze casting has been around for thousands of years, but more recently it’s found a foothold in Alaska.  At  Arctic Fires Bronze Sculptureworks in Palmer, a blast of 2000 degree heat from a furnace warms up the studio where Pat Garley melts down  bronze and iron  in the process of creating art.  Garley, a former contractor, has switched to art for his livelihood, and he is now