Big Things in a Small Town
From 2014-2016 I had the pleasure of working for Bolin Enterprises, Inc. Though their main business was pipeline and tank maintenance for larger companies, I was part of their smaller division with BIG ideas. Jim Bolin, one of the company’s founders, wanted to turn his small hometown of Casey, IL into a tourist attraction. From that, Big Things in a Small Town was born! I was a part of the team building four record setting sculptures, including other sculptures that were not record setting but big none the less. The four record setters were the World’s Largest Rocking Chair, the World’s Largest Pitchfork, the World’s Largest Mailbox, and my personal favorite the World’s Largest Wooden Shoes. Other notable sculptures were an 11ft tall chainsaw carved Ear of Corn, a 32ft Pencil, and a life-size Rocking Horse.
Visit their website to see what Big Things Jim’s been making lately!
It was fascinating learning how something becomes Officially Certified with the Guinness World Records
11ft Ear of Corn - Chainsaw Carved out of Osage (yes, Osage wood is that yellow)
“Big Things in a Small Town” Team Completing the World’s Largest Rocking Chair (I’m seated up front, third from the left)
Me carving the design into the side of the Rocking Chair’s arm rest.
In-progress Life-Size Rocking Horse
32ft Pencil - It has real graphite though you kinda have to move the paper to the pencil, instead of the other way around.
Newspaper Article I appeared in.
World’s Largest Pitchfork - 60ft Long
World’s Largest Wooden Shoes - 11ft 5in Heel to Toe
Frames and Canvas Stretchers
As I’ve been involved in many different art departments, both as a student and as an educator, I’ve become the go-to person to teach how to build frames and canvases. As a grad-student, I would make some extra money by offering my services to professors. Shown are some of the more interesting requests. One such requests were inverted frames which had a cavity encompassing the paintings. The other was canvases that had holes in it for LCD monitors.
Frame by me, paintings by Michael Holloman
In-progress of Canvases with LCD Monitors
Completed painting by Joe Hedges with monitor fit into the canvas
Cigar Box Ukuleles
Ever since I heard the term luthier and learned what it meant I saw it as a challenge. A “maker of stringed instruments” is a hobby of mine, typically cigar box ukuleles though I have made a wash-bucket upright bass. The lower three images are a commissioned piece with a custom built case out of an old pallet.
