A Lifelong Artist, Educator, and Student of the Arts

Pete Spratlin is one of two featured artists whose work is currently on display in the galleries at the Munson Arts Education Building as part of JCArts’ ongoing artist exhibition program. A longtime art educator with 35 years in the classroom, Pete has spent a lifetime exploring different materials, techniques, and ways of creating. His work ranges from traditional art forms to sculptures made with sheet metal and found materials, including his distinctive Steampunk creations. We asked Pete to share a little about how his interest in art began, his years as an educator, and what continues to inspire him as an artist today.

Meet the Artist

For Pete Spratlin, art has been a lifelong pursuit—one that began with a childhood gift and eventually grew into a 35-year career in art education and a continuing exploration of materials, ideas, and creative possibilities. Pete’s introduction to art came when his uncle gave him an oil painting set as a child.

“I liked painting trees and landscapes,” Pete recalls. “Little did I realize that visual arts would be part of my lifestyle.”

By the time he was a teenager and beginning to think about his future and post-secondary education, art seemed like the logical path. That decision ultimately led to a career spanning 35 years as an art educator.

35 Years of Sharing Art

For Pete, one of the most rewarding parts of teaching was the exchange of ideas with his students.

“Sharing ideas with my students,” he says, was what he enjoyed most, along with “guiding them to constantly improve their skills and appreciate the visual arts.”

That same curiosity and willingness to explore continues to be evident in Pete’s own artwork. Rather than limiting himself to one style or medium, he has continued experimenting throughout his life.

From Clay to Sheet Metal and Found Materials

Clay remains Pete’s favorite medium, although the expense involved makes it less practical for him to pursue today. Instead, he has found a connection with sheet metal and found materials—materials that lend themselves especially well to his sculptural work.

His creations have included dragonflies, dragons, sharks, biplanes and triplanes, and even alien tripods.

“Fabricating sculptural forms seems to be right down my alley,” he says.

That interest also fits naturally with Pete’s exploration of Steampunk, where ordinary objects, mechanical influences, and imagination can come together in unexpected ways.

The Appeal of Steampunk

Pete describes Steampunk with a bit of humor and an artist’s eye for both design and purpose.

“Steampunk is really a method of creating a more elaborate, ornate and decorative mousetrap,” he explains. “It transcends both form and function.”

It’s an approach that allows him to take familiar materials and forms and turn them into something more imaginative, intricate, and unexpected.

Always a Student of the Arts

If there is one thing Pete hopes visitors notice when viewing his work, it is its diversity.

“I try to be an artistic jack of all media and try to strive towards some success,” he says.

After decades of creating, teaching, experimenting, and learning, Pete still doesn’t consider his artistic education finished.

“I’ll always be a student of the arts.”

That philosophy may be the thread that connects the many different forms his artwork takes. Whether working with paint, clay, sheet metal, found materials, sculpture, or Steampunk influences, Pete continues to approach art with the curiosity of someone who knows there is always something new to discover.

Artist Reception

The community is invited to meet Pete and see his work during an Artist Reception on Saturday, September 19, from 5:00–7:00 PM at the Munson Arts Education Building, 131 W. 7th St. in Junction City.

Pete Spratlin’s artwork is currently on display in the Rago Gallery and Markley Lobby in the Munson Arts Education Building through November 29, 2026.