John Hoge Is A Genuine Fremont Artist

by Kirby Lindsay, published 2 June 1999

The Seattle Press originally published this column on June 2, 1999.

Ready for a quiz? Oh, give it a try!

Who is the artist that turned a surplus military rocket into the incomparable Fremont landmark? Give yourself 10 points if you knew it was John Hoge.

Fountain Of Stone

John is a working Fremont artist. He has upcoming art installation projects, one called “Nestled Boulders”, will be installed at the new Planned Parenthood offices on Capitol Hill and another, called “Family of Stones”, is intended for the Casey Family Foundation offices. These pieces, made of stone shaped and polished, will be created at his Fremont studio. Last summer, though, I watched John drive his chili pepper forklift back and forth from his studio to the Fremont Village building. He was hauling the “pieces” of his fountain, “Mended Boulders”, to its installation at Fremont Avenue and 36^th Street.

“Mended Boulders” is the only fountain in Fremont. I take joy in visiting the recessed courtyard one block from ‘Downtown’ Fremont and sitting in the cool breeze of the running water. Plus the contrast between the highly polished and the naturally rough textures of the boulders always fascinates me. The owners of the building, Dan & Lillian Cawdrey, who look with pride upon their generous gift to the neighborhood, commissioned this piece.

An Aberration – The Fremont Rocket

The Rocket, John’s only other Fremont piece, is uncharacteristic of his work. This ‘commission’ came in traditional Fremont style – out of chaos and spontaneous bursts of creativity.

John remembers local landowner Mike Peck, and Pam Hinckley of RedHook, acquiring the base of the Rocket. John had to track down the nose cone before he could install the Rocket…somewhere. It took years to find a location until Phil Suetens offered his building. At the corner of 35^th & Evanston, painted smoke and astronomical designs decorate the outside of the Ah Nuts store, above which towers our Rocket.

John is generous with the credit of the Rocket. He mentioned that Pat Dalby did the wiring, Jim Moore did metal work plus Jay Gore and neon artist, Rodman Miller, contributed. Ideas came from “everywhere”. So did the funding. Donations, large and small, paid for The Rocket, as well as an auction that Mike orchestrated and to which EVERYONE from the neighborhood contributed. The end result is astounding – even if you don’t know the incredible amount of work that went into it.

Being a Part of Fremont

John, and his wife, Leslie, came to Fremont 20 years ago when the King County Arts Commission hired John to build his 160-ft. earth and stone sculpture at Luther Burbank Park. John borrowed space to build from Rich Beyer, creator of the best known Fremont art work, People Waiting For The Interurban.

John has said he learned a lot working for Rich, although they work in different mediums. When Rich moved to South Seattle, John took over the studio space. When the landlords wanted to sell the property, John and Leslie grabbed the opportunity. They eventually built a new building on the site although the shack where John had his original studio still stands on the back of the property.

A young artist, Peggy Grant, now uses that studio/shack for her work. John employs “a whole bunch of artists from the neighborhood.” They do their own work during his design phase then help him build his pieces when he’s ready.

John likes being in Fremont because of the never-ending supply of talented, creative people. He likes that Fremont has no single type of person that is an artist. John says we’ve got “Redneck Artists to Groovy Beatnik Artists”. He likes giving them help in the form of jobs but also giving them plenty of free time to pursue their own interests.

John finds his inspiration on hiking and climbing trips around the Northwest. He seeks to recreate natural formations in his works. Still, he likes living and working in Fremont. “If you’re a working artist,” he says, “you need the vitality of the City. There are always so many people, so much happening…”

John and I talked about his work but we also talked about the need for Industrial Areas like the one in which his studio is located. The polishing, cutting and shaping that goes into creating his art is not clean, quiet work. “If Fremont is going to stay a vital artists’ community, you’ve got to preserve the industrial zoning,” he said. In his building he rents to a “mixed bag” of professionals from architects to rolfers. Still, John has zero tolerance for any tenants who might complain about noise or dust. “Industrial is our primary use.” he explains before they move in.

And while his work does create noise and dust – it also creates beautiful works of art which bring admiration, peace and tranquillity to us all.

Author’s Note: Since original publication, some facts in this column have changed. John Hoge relocated his work studio to the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle, due to noise concerns, although he and Leslie still own their building in Fremont, at 118 N 35^th St.

Also, two other Hoge works are installed in Fremont. The “Witch’s Boots” is a whimsical piece constructed by Hoge and Rich Beyer, mentioned in the Fremocentrist.com Art Inventory #4. Also, a fountain at Fremont Coffee is made of his stones.

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