Growing up, I had a limited understanding of the popular saying “No Regrets.” Skaters got it tattooed on their skin, rappers used it in their verses and a kid down the street had the T-shirt. I thought it was dumb, because, obviously, everyone had done something stupid or had a situation happen to them that … Read More
Automotive
Dodge Garage: Serendipity Part 1 (Mark Trostle Story)
ICON. The lofty goal of any artist worth their salt is to create something iconic, whether they admit to it or not. We want to create an original form that represents something greater than itself that, with merely a glimpse, takes our mind to a certain space, quickens our pulse or stirs our soul. It’s … Read More
Dodge Garage: Behind The Torch Part 3
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS. Doors are presented to you throughout life; you can’t always choose when, how or why. You can only decide whether or not to open it and walk through. In Part 1 and Part 2 of my journey, I took you through how this little welding passion of mine has evolved into a business I’m passionate about. (Continue Reading)
Dodge Garage: Behind The Torch Part 2
ART EVOLUTION. Being called an “artist” didn’t always appeal to me, and that was a huge mental block. There was a part of me that felt fraudulent. I felt comfortable as a millwright, a welder or a tradesman, but not as an artist. I created more and more sculptures just as an excuse to weld, not as … Read More
Dodge Garage: Behind The Torch Part 1
THE FIRST ARC. Everything clicked. The Miller Bobcat generator snapped to life as one of us held the toggle switch up to turn it over. A few minutes prior, a handful of new apprentices, myself included, snuck towards an unused room at the back of the UAW/Chrysler National Training Center. This was a covert operation; … Read More
Dodge Garage: The Difference a Year Makes – From Demon Dreaming to Demon Owning
The crowd was primed. Pier 97 on the Hudson River had been converted to a torch and cannon-lined drag strip. A giant armored cage fit to hold King Kong sat on the left side of the audience. Massive video screens convulsed and Metallica blared through stacks of speakers with demands of fuel and fire. (Continue … Read More