Bargabarian Art
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Welcome
Turning Wood into Functional Art
I grew up in the Columbia River Gorge in the small town of White Salmon, Washington. After graduating from high school, I attended Eastern Washington University. I starting out majoring in music and finished with a B.S. in Geology. I credit my short stint in the music department to my start in woodworking.
While studying music, I came across the family of Oriental Long Zithers, harp like stringed instruments found in the Far East. They produce uniquely beautiful melodies. I was particularly intrigued with the Japanese koto with its soft rich sound. Looking to purchase one, I found that they were relatively rare in the U.S. The kotos that I did find were expensive professional quality instruments and as a college student I couldn’t afford to buy one. However, I didn’t let that deter me.
Having access to a research library, I began researching how to produce sound from wooden string instruments. I further studied the oriental long zithers and their unique construction and styles. Armed with this knowledge, I began creating plans.
I finally graduated from EWU in 1986 and moved back to White Salmon. In 1987 I decided that it was time to start building my koto. I laid out a set of plans, purchased a cedar 2 X 12, some maple and ebony, a 25mm wood carving gouge, a draw knife, some tuning and hitch pins, and music wire. I then built my first wooden musical instrument. Although not a true koto, I took artistic liberties, it played well and had the characteristic sound of the oriental long zither family.
I went on to build other musical instruments such as marimbas, xylophones, rudimentary flutes and a baroque oboe. I also developed an interest in toys such as boomerangs, tops, and kaleidoscopes. Much of my work was rough and lacked visual appeal.
As the art community began to form in the Columbia River Gorge in the 1990s, I shifted directions and started developing higher end pieces. I produced jewelry boxes and lathe turned bowls. Much of my work was still rather crude. It was about this time that I ran into Jay O’rourke. Jay creates eloquent wooden boxes. He gave me pointers on how to bring out the beauty of the wood. Jay demonstrated finishing techniques and other tidbits that I use to this day.
The primary focus of my woodworking at this point in time is segmented lathe turnings. I find the development and design phase of segmented turning as interesting as actually producing the pieces. I especially enjoy the challenge of producing curved patterns and images from flat pieces of wood by using the surface curvature. My background in computer aided drafting and design is essential for this process.
Aside from the lathe turning, I still delve into musical instruments, kaleidoscopes, and other projects from my past woodworking. My xylophones and other musical instruments still exhibits a strong oriental influence. Some of my lathe work also shows this Eastern influence.
Kaleidoscopes are just fun to create and play with. And that, after all, is the most important part of this whole endeavor. Enjoying the end result of the creative process.
Glenn "The Bargabarian" Bargabus
How I got started
I developed this site to showcase my work.
The primary focus of my work revolves around segmented lathe turning. This involves gluing many small pieces of wood together to produce particular visual effects when turned on the lathe. The patterns can range from simple concentric rings built up in brick laid fashion to any elaborate menagerie the imagination may come up with.
My work also includes musical stringed instruments with an oriental influence, xylophones and marimbas, kaleidoscopes, and any other toys my mind can conceive. Imagination is the only limitation.
Thank you for visiting.
Exhibitions
Columbia Art Gallery Hood River, Oregon
Artisans Designs White Salmon, Washington
Shows
