Quick 5: Pat Synar

1. What brought you to Tahlequah?

I wanted to get away from Tulsa and build my own foundry. I found a farm near Tahlequah, moved there and established Southwestern Bronze Sculpture Foundry in 1967, where I still am today with my pooches, Duke and Molly.

2. Do you still cast bronzes?

I am working on three pieces for Jane Osti, with Corn Woman as the largest piece at 5’5”, for the Anna Mitchell Museum in Vinita. Also I cast a bust of Anna Mitchell for Jane years ago. I am still making bells. I donated a tribute bell to the Oklahoma Military Academy, my alma mater, for their anniversary. One of my favorite bells is the Tribute to the Liberty Bell with a steam punk design. Some of the pieces I’ve cast are in the Oklahoma Cowboy Hall of Fame.

3. How did you get started in sculpting?

My mom, Elizabeth, had Synar Ceramics in Muskogee and I worked there as a youth. She had her own factory and airplane. I thought all moms flew airplanes and owned factories. At Oklahoma State University, I studied Bronze Casting and Foundry Procedure and fell in love with it.

4. Have you done other types of art as well?

For more than 20 years, I made gold jewelry.

5. What is something about you most people don’t know?

When I was 18, in 1959, I worked as a deck hand the summer after high school on a Norwegian freighter, the Black Falcon. It was quite an adventure in the North Sea. It was fascinating; most of the guys were kids from Norway and most spoke English. The captain wanted to send me to school in Norway, but I didn’t want that kind of life.

– Renee Fite

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