If you’ve ever been to Burning Man, you might have spotted a whimsical bike reminiscent of a bygone era rolling across the desert at sunset with two silhouettes seated high. The artist pedaling the 7-foot bike through the alkaline dust was Randy Gates.
Randy Gates is a maker, artist and music mixer. He is also a fire captain and paramedic for the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District.
As an artist, Gates not only works with metal, but he also works with wood. He has created several metal sculptures. He attributes much of the inspiration for his art to Burning Man, which he attends regularly (Burning Man was cancelled again this year due to the pandemic). His first significant art project was Dreamcycle, a human-powered bicycle.
Read more about local art created for Burning Man
“Dreamcycle was my first metal-art project ever. It is a combination of Penny Farthing meets Dr. Seuss. I’d never worked with metal before and it was a super intimidating medium for me,” says Gates, who was inspired by his friendship with artist Fred Besch.
Gates adds that he has had magical experiences with Besch on the playa. Besch has built several art cars for Burning Man and his metal bike art is displayed in downtown Truckee.
“I would say I’ve been a maker pretty much my whole life. I dabbled in photography and sold some of my art in an art gallery. I didn’t start calling myself an artist until after my experience with Dreamcycle.” –Randy Gates
“I would say I’ve been a maker pretty much my whole life. I dabbled in photography and sold some of my art in an art gallery. I didn’t start calling myself an artist until after my experience with Dreamcycle,” he says.
As his art evolved, he created the Whimcyle project, a pair of electric bikes similar to Dreamcycle. They are smaller versions for single riders.
Fire is a running theme in Gate’s life. He works with fire. He creates with fire. He welds with fire. He is drawn to watching how fire moves. It seems only natural that incorporating the fire element into his craft makes his creations beautiful works of art.
“Metal seems to be the most conducive to my art. It can withstand fire and survive. But when wood is incorporated with fire, it burns,” says Gates.
He speaks of the magic of the wood art pieces created at Burning Man that are erected and then burned, totally consumed by fire.
Gates is a member of Truckee Roundhouse, a maker space where he creates much of his art. He also teaches CPR and first aid to the staff at the maker space.
“I feel like the Roundhouse is a cornerstone of creativity for Truckee and Tahoe in general,” says Gates.
As Gates evolves, not only as a person but as an artist, he explores different art mediums, mainly working with wood and metal. He has beautiful handmade wood frames that display his photography displayed on the walls of his home. His metal lamp sculpture is suspended with heavy metal chains that hang from the high vaulted ceilings of his house. His art tends to wield an industrial edge. One of his most recent sculptures is of two intertwined hearts. He has created two versions that are displayed in his yard. One version of his heart sculpture utilizes fire in the center of the piece and the other version uses LED lights.
Gates’ art consists of both big and small projects. A metal key chain etched with a Tahoe silhouette surrounded by a heart symbolizes his love and passion for his home and his community. He burned wooden coasters with an etching of Tahoe, hearts and different symbols that hold special meaning to him. Many of these smaller pieces end up in the hands of his friends and people in the community. Gates is generous, kind, passionate and positive. It springs forth with his love of sharing.
“I really enjoy gifting. I never realized how much until I’d gone to Burning Man and experienced that,” he says. “Gifting creates a connection with another human. You give them something thoughtful that you made with creativity and love involved and give it with no expectation of any exchange or barter. I like extending that into my personal life.”
Mixing music is another art form that Gates is passionate about. Bringing people together to dance brings him enormous joy.
Gates acknowledges how difficult the past year and a half has been for many people and he has seen it firsthand in his work life. He employs a number of tools to help with stress. He attributes much of his positive and calm nature to the practices he embraces in his life, which include plenty of exercise, sleep, meditation and eating healthy. This helps ground him and keep him centered. His art is part of this practice. | dreamcycle2014@gmail.com
