About Brandon Meehl

Artist Bio

Brandon Meehl was born and raised in Colorado and currently resides in Park County. As a stone carver and a geologist, he is deeply inspired by the natural world and Colorado’s diverse history in the mining, logging, and railroad industries. He studied at Colorado School of Mines, and has experience in both mineral exploration and mine geology. His greater understanding of geology aids his ability to work with stone as a medium. His diverse career experiences have provided him with a unique perspective. His introduction to stone carving occurred 10 years ago while working at a Denver-based studio. Ever since this experience, he has been consistently fine-tuning his skills in the craft while incorporating engineering, science, and history into his artwork.

Granite vase with an art nouveau style sitting on a stone carving table. Cool, crisp, fall day in Colorado

Artist Statement

I am a Colorado-based artist who specializes in carving vases, planters, and tables out of granite. I am passionate about art, geology and history. Stone is a medium I know and understand; the craft of using hand tools allows me to uncover the classic and timeless beauty of this medium. The arduous process of carving granite is a way for me to pay homage to the tough and dangerous nature of the mining industry in the American West during the turn of the 20th century. I draw inspiration from how elegant objects and styles from the Art Nouveau movement at that time were included in the rough and often primitive mining camps or pioneer towns throughout Colorado. My artwork explores themes related to the natural world, human history, and the rich heritage of the American West. I aspire for my artwork to facilitate our interaction with, and appreciation for, the natural world while also providing a reflection on the concepts of time, our history, and our legacy.

Brandon Meehl in a hoodie and cap standing outdoors in a snowy wooded area under clear blue sky. Geologist and stone sculptor south park colorado.

My Perspective

My experience as a geologist has taken me to a lot of different places. Although I currently work at the Red Dog mine (lead and zinc) in Northwest Alaska, my career began in gold exploration. As a consultant, I worked in the Yukon, Ontario, Papua New Guinea, and Suriname. My time in Suriname, South America was the most memorable. In 2012 was hired by a company to map, collect samples, and prospect for gold around the Lely Hills in south-central Suriname. All along the flanks of this plateau were “illegal” gold miners (a good portion of them were Brazilian) that were mining placer gold. We were hired to look for the bedrock source of all of this gold. I worked there for about a year, and that place changed my life.

Even at this time in my life I had developed a deep appreciation for the mining history in Colorado and the American West during the turn of the last century. But in Suriname, it was like stepping back in time - I saw these things in person. I saw hand-powered hoist systems (called a windlass) being used for lowering men and equipment up/down exploration shafts. I watched miners use high pressure water hoses used for processing gravel, recovering the gold in sluice boxes (hydraulic mining). Prostitution, drinking, and gambling were also very common in these small and very isolated establishments. This place was not completely lawless, but it was real close. These people were and are very religious, because tomorrow is not promised. It was also interesting that most of these people didn’t have very much in terms of material possessions, but they took great pride in owning even just a few really nice things. These miners and their families lead dangerous lifestyles, and they truly reside in a unique corner of the human existence.

I use these experiences as a foundation for my personal understanding of the history of Colorado and the American West. Through all of the human struggle and the environmental destruction, these miners have or had hopes and dreams of a better future for themselves and their families.

A photo of me standing next to a windlass in Suriname, South America

A photo of myself standing next to a windlass. Lely hills, Suriname, South America. 2012

Windlass in Suriname, gold exploration shaft.
Two brazilian men working with woodworking tools and wooden planks in a gold exploration shaft in the jungles of suriname.
Black and white photo of four men working at The Copper Commander Mine, using rudimentary mining equipment, surrounded by rocky terrain and mountains in the background.

Miners, who include the Williamson family, pose near the windlass of the Copper Commander Mine near Turret (Chaffee County), Colorado. Circa 1900.

Credit: Denver Public Library Special Collections

Brazilian miners use a hydraulic hose and excavator to mine placer gold in Suriname, South America.

Brazilian miners use pressurized water to turn gold bearing gravel into a slurry, which is pumped to a sluice box (not shown). Men are picking cobbles and larger rocks out of the slurry so they don’t get sucked up into pumps. 2012

Workers involved in small-scale mining in a forested area, using water hoses to wash and separate soil and rocks.

A Brazilian miner waves at me while I was taking a photo of their operation. Hydraulic mining right above sluice boxes. This drainage had a lot of placer gold. 2012

A historical photograph showing hydraulic mining in progress, with water jets eroding a hillside. Workers are observable operating machinery, and there are piles of rocks and debris in the foreground.

View of the Alma Placer, a hydraulic gold mine in Park County, Colorado; shows eroded embankments, a crane, and miners using monitors to aim jets of water. Circa 1887.

Credit: Denver Public Library Special Collections