Artist Keeps Individuality but Takes Orders and Does Well With the Brass

You might wonder why Troosh Truchil, 41, has the dashboard of a 1941 Chevrolet over his fireplace.

Or, for that matter, why Truchil is called Troosh.

Or why he creates erotic sculptures.

“I’m an artist who thinks of himself as being different” is his simple reply. However, despite his casualness, Truchil’s work as a sculptor in brass is widely known, and some of his pieces have been commissioned by wealthy entertainers. “The average Joe usually can’t afford it,” he says.

Most of his best work was done by accident, he says. “Sometimes I follow a pattern, but things just happen.”

He even wonders why anyone would want a brass bed. “It must be a personal thing,” he says, “because people have to save up for a long time to pay for it.”

Locally, he is known for his erotic brass sculptures, which he will exhibit at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival on July 2 to Aug. 28. He will charge 10 cents for admission to the exhibit. He says 100,000 people see it every year, and he has been a festival exhibitor for 12 years.

“I like to make erotic art. But these are not pornographic.”

The former New York City junior high school teacher calls himself a pack rat, a description borne out by his Laguna Beach shop, called Custom Brass by Troosh, and his adjoining home, which is filled with tools, watches, clocks, antiques and anything else that strikes his fancy.

While his major work is in brass sculpture, beds, chairs and bookcases, he has tinkered with everything he has touched, including his watches and clocks, which he said makes him the “King of Clutter.”

He got the name Troosh while working in the pit crew for a car racer. “I liked it and changed it legally.” His given name is Stephen.

He also works with stone, glass, wood, fiberglass and jewelry. He learned many of his skills at the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a fine arts degree, but others, such as welding, are self-taught.

Truchil has no illusions about himself. “Everyone has something to offer in the world,” he said, “and mine happens to be in brass or whatever anyone wants. I even make wood-grain dashboards.”

“My wife (Janeen) thinks I’m not dull,” he said. “I may talk you to death, but I won’t bore you to death.”

It was a mass adoption pairing children with patients at a Westminster convalescent hospital.

“I learned that I have someone special to love who needs me,” said one 12-year-old student, “and it makes me feel good . . . like Christmas, inside.”

He was one of the 205 students from Weber and St. Luke’s Elementary schools in Westminster who brought adoption papers with them to Hylond Convalescent Hospital to adopt one of the 96 patients as a grandparent.

Because of the student overflow, some of the kids shared an adopted grandparent.

“It was a moving experience,” said Nancy L. Fontaine, 59, of Tustin, director of human relations for the hospital. “There was a lot of hugging and kissing going on.”

Besides their love, each student gave his or her adopted grandparent a flower.

A job fair May 24 at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Center has two requirements, says spokeswoman Carolyn O’Malley. “Anyone looking for a job has to be 55 or older, and employers are not welcome unless they have jobs to offer.”

She said the job fair is in part the result of the “golden handshake” programs some companies offer to older, more highly paid workers, who now are out looking for jobs.

“We’ll have some jobs in the lower-paying category,” she said, “but we expect some companies will be looking for someone who is reliable and has wisdom and knowledge for such high-paying jobs as engineers, who can earn $100,000 a year.”

Acknowledgments--Neil Blitch, Tom Feuerborn and Michael Minnott have received appointments to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Kevin Leinbach received an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. All are seniors at Tustin High School. The four were nominated by Rep. Robert Badham (R-Newport Beach).