Metal Artist George Goehl
30 Our Brown County • March / April 2019
~ story and photo by Bob Gustin
If you consider all the jobs George Goehl has had, you might think he has a hard time deciding what he wants to do.
In his 80 years of life, he has tried his hand at many things, from selling carpet to administering a program for people with mental disabilities, among other things. Most didn’ t last longer than three years.
But his love of producing decorative metal creations is an exception. His jewelry, wall hangings, bubble wands, and other brazed creations have kept his attention for about 50 years now, and he shows no sign of slowing down.
Goehl has been a fixture in the Nashville craft scene since opening a shop in 1975, and his work is now for sale at the Brown County Craft Gallery. In addition, he has posted many how-to videos on the Internet and produced DVDs of his craft. This allows him to stand with one foot in the traditional handmade world of fine craftsmen and the other foot in the modern world of technology.
Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1938, Goehl was the son of a mechanic and a housewife who later entered the workforce leaving him to grow up“ pretty much alone.” He says he was a terrible student in the tiny Pataskala, Ohio, school system and graduated from high school“ through the grace of my teachers.”
He said he knew he wasn’ t college material, so after a stint in the Air Force where he played saxophone in the military band, and not knowing what else to do, he took a factory job at Western Electric in Columbus, Ohio. Becoming