GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative, offers a range of machinery and equipment to its members, including welding equipment, a plasma cutter and a laser engraver. It was the access to these tools, along with the work space, that attracted local artist Patrick Walsh to the makerspace.

Walsh began creating art in his garage as a hobby almost two years ago. Using found materials from his grandfather’s farm and area flea markets, he creates coffee tables, lamps and other custom furniture pieces.

“I’d describe my style as rustic-modern,” says Walsh. “I try to only use local materials, even the lumber. I try to get my wood from local tree companies that cut the real stuff, not farmed trees.”

Walsh has been creating unique furniture pieces for over a year, and the more people see his work, the more requests he receives.

As he got busier and busier, Walsh began to look for a larger space to rent as a workspace. As he was searching around town, he came across GoCreate and decided to try it out with their six-month membership. He’s been coming multiple times a week ever since.

“I’m most excited to work with the welding shop and the CNC plasma cutter table,” says Walsh. “Normally it costs thousands of dollars to even touch that kind of stuff.”

Walsh has had access to big pieces of equipment and computer programs that many creators will never have access to without GoCreate. One machine he uses frequently is the laser engraver, a machine that can cut through or engrave on materials such as wood, glass, metal and plastic.

GoCreate has given Walsh the opportunity to make a career out of creating, and word-of-mouth has kept his business going.

“This is my full-time job. I probably wouldn’t be able to do that without the equipment here.”

Examples of Walsh’s custom pieces are available on his website, https://www.walshoakandiron.com/, on Instagram and Facebook at @waslshoakandiron and at http://bit.ly/EtsyWalsh.

To learn more about GoCreate and its memberships, go to http://www.gocreate.com/.