Two non-art majors captured judges’ eyes at the Linfield art show hook, line, and sinker. Seniors Bobby Tarnapoll and Brian Satterwhite placed first in the art show, A Show of Hands, with their sculpture. The piece is called “It Ain’t Safe.”

Although Tarnapoll is a marketing major and Satterwhite is a sociology major, the students took an interest in the course “sculpture,” taught by Professor Scott Ross.

Over a span of two weeks and 30 hours of work, the two created a giant fish skeleton made of rebar. The shape was formed by bending and welding the material.

While creating the piece, Tarnapoll and Satterwhite did not anticipate submitting it to the juried art show. It wasn’t until they completed the project that they realized its potential.

“Never having welded before, it was an awesome learning experience,” Tarnapoll said.

“Building ‘It Ain’t Safe’ was a really cool experience. It was the first time that both Bobby and I had welded before, and we were really pleased with the result,” Satterwhite said.

Tarnapoll and Satterwhite credit their newfound talents to Ross.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without him building the sculpture department with a new metal shop since coming to Linfield last year. It will be very exciting to witness the program grow to new heights in the very near future,” Tarnapoll said.

“Ross deserves a lot of recognition for the work that he is doing in the Art department and the direction he’s taking the sculpture portion of the department in,” Satterwhite said.

Taylor Dean placed second and Cale Byers placed third in the art show.

Philosophy professor Jesús Ilundáin-Agurruza and Gallery Curator Josephine Zarkovich juried the exhibition of student work, which runs until Dec. 15.

The metal shop is an ongoing project. Currently the shop is set up to weld and cut metal using an oxia sedaline torch but there are plans to add other tools.

Students interested in welding should contact Ross for more information.