ATLANTA, Texas - DJ Harvey wanted to be an artist. He became an iron worker.
When he talks seriously about it, those two things aren't so different.
"I can make anything out of iron," DJ tells. 'And I like using steel."
This past week, the owner of Atlanta Fabrication had an art and craft maker's table at the Downtown Market, a showplace for those who make things "homemade, handmade and homegrown."
Atlanta's concept for a local maker's market is that participants are limited to being from within 50 of Atlanta. Vendors' crafts and art are vetted to be local.
Then, the market limits itself to a five-hour display of creative endeavors by enthusiastic local artists. Time is an important part of an artist's show.
About 30 crafters and artists set up their booths and tents in the Woods Park on East Hiram in Atlanta for the 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. show Saturday.
DJ was showing his decorative - as well as informational - metal signs. He cuts and makes them out of metal - especially steel, his favorite medium.
DJ has been a pipefitter since 1987, and later when he was changing his life and wanted to get out the Houston area, he looked and chose Atlanta.
When he began to do fabrication, he found he had a lot of learning to do with how to use a computer. He says today he will make use of as many as four computer programs to design and build a piece of metal for the customer.
He once built a huge, 20-foot-long barbecue pit. That got him interested in cooking, and so he spent several years going to a number of competition cook-offs. And he cooked 12 years for the Houston rodeo.
It's all a part of his creative life, and this is where it becomes most interesting, because he likes to say, "I can do just about anything the customer can think of in metal.
"When I was in school, I was always good at drawing," he tells. "I would do paintings in oil, pastels and charcoal. Fabrication is a way to combine it all."
And so today, he does custom birthdays, weddings and special occasions artworks in metal.
This reporter chuckled, and said, "Well, maybe you could do my portrait."
"He could do that, " said his wife, Linda, passing by.