The sculpture features analogue weather gauges and antique gas lanterns. The backing is made of the remnants of die-cut metal, and the effect is almost delicate — the huge piece of sculpture is a latticework of framing.
Bagley rescues his materials from all over. The wood he has used in two of his most recent pieces, including Looking Glass Prairie, came from demolition sites around downtown Oklahoma City. When the construction began for the extension of Interstate 40, quite a few buildings downtown had to be demolished.
“Most of those buildings were built in the 1950s, and they were all new growth, most of it Douglas fir,” Bagley said. “They were literally paying to have it dumped in a hole in the ground.”
Bagley saw potential in that wood, and it was too beautiful to pass up. He said that no one even challenged him when he took it. With a coat of clear varnish and Bagley’s transformative powers, what was destined for disposal became art.