The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Some people, when they say the word "art," breathe it with such reverence that those hearing feel like it's some kind of religious artifact – unreachable by the ordinary person, stuffed away in museums to be viewed only after you have purchased a ticket.

But art really is everywhere, if you look for it.

One of the more unexpected places to find art is on your doorbell, an especial pleasure if you own one crafted by Timber Bronze 53, a family-owned business in Wallowa, Ore., that specializes in bronze home décor accessories: doorbells, drawer pulls, coat hooks, lamp chain pulls, and drapery posts. In addition to selling on Wayfair, Amazon, and Houzz, owners Garrett and Beth Lowe also do custom design work for individual clients, adding that touch of art throughout the home.

"We recently finished a job for a lady from the Midwest that included custom refrigerator, freezer, wine cooler and dishwasher handles," Garrett says. "That order also included 8-inch custom twig handles and about 100 pine cone knobs."

On the doorbell front, he adds, one of their bestselling art pieces is a farmhouse pig, cheerily welcoming the visitor like Wilbur on Charlotte's Web. Other designs include a beaver, horse, morel mushroom, and pine cones – all in bronze, and all on the doorbell.

A full collection, along with drawer pull samples and bronze antler hooks, is on display at Wenaha Gallery (219 East Main, Dayton) through August 11.