Stick figures: Local artist's work makes use of loose branches

Globe Life

Related Photos

Rachel Wilson, of Avilla, stands with an actor from the Titanic-Branson Museum in front of a sculpture she made. Her work is now on display outside the Branson attraction.

Discussion

July 25, 2010

By Kevin McClintock Globe Staff Writer The Joplin Globe Sun Jul 25, 2010, 02:19 PM CDT

AVILLA, Mo. —

By Kevin McClintock

kmcclintock@joplinglobe.com

Local artist Rachel Wilson dabbles with stick figures.

Not the common kind of stick figure, though.

“I think people are drawn to my sculptures because they are unique and the medium is very recognizable,” Wilson said, “Everyone can relate to the stick laying out in the yard, but the idea that those sticks are good for something always seems to amaze them.”

The Webb City native pieces together her sculptures using collected chunks of Osage orange wood. Wilson loves to describe her sculptures as a “beautiful solution to a brush pile.”

Now those unique sculptures can be found outside the Titanic-Branson Museum in Branson, which has quietly become one of Branson’s top visited attractions.

Fresh from winning first place at an artCentral exhibit last year in Carthage and the subsequent media coverage that followed, Titanic-Branson owner Mary Kellogg-Joslyn read about Wilson and her sculptures “and she loved my artwork,” Wilson said. “I was floored. This is the highest profile exhibit I have had to date.”

The wood comprising her art pieces are collected herself, often walking through a forest or copse, selecting individual pieces.

“I came to this medium because the price was right. It is hard to come up with the money to create large works of art. I found the Osage orange wood to be the perfect answer. It is naturally bug and rot resistant, plentiful ... not to mention it has been used for years on the farm as fence posts so I knew it would be able to stand up to the elements.”

Wilson realized her love for art at an early age.

“I would sit at the (television) on Saturday mornings practicing drawing cartoon characters and then sell them to my friends for 25 cents at school,” Wilson said. “While I was young and anything seemed possible I dreamt of being an artist. As I grew up and went to college I realized there were a lot of people who had the same dream. It has only been in the last year that I have had a new sense of ‘I just might be able to make this work.’”

Despite the success of the artCentral win and her exhibit on the Branson Strip, “there is still the dream, but dreams don’t just happen,” Wilson said. “You have to work for them. I’m not there yet.”

Having a family of four kids makes that challenging, however. Some artists face greater obstacles in that they are forced to balance their art with the needs of their families. It can be difficult, and it’s why some gifted artists put their careers on hold until their kids are in school, Wilson said.

Wilson has managed to balance each of the aspects equally, working on her art three days a week, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., -- unless she’s on a deadline.

“I love what I do and I could work all day, every day, but above all else my family comes first,” she said. “It is very hard. I have to hold myself back in some aspects by limiting my exhibits and turning down opportunities that won’t fit my schedule, but my kids are only young once and no show is worth my marriage.

“In three years all of the kids will be in school and I will have more time for work.”

Still, her art can -- or has -- grown into a family affair.

“My husband (Kyle) puts just as much work into moving (the art pieces) all over Missouri as I do building them,” Wilson said. “My children (William (8), Lauren (6), Jenna (4) and Sarah (2)) used to be so excited and always wanted to help me pick up sticks. That lasted three months. Now they are kind of over it.

“It’s (now) just that thing mommy does now.”

Wilson’s work can be seen at the Titanic museum through Aug. 15, and two more exhibits showcasing her work will be held in 2011.

She hopes people who view her art pieces “are inspired to try something creative and unexpected. I hope they bring good feelings to everyone that sees them, just like they do for me.”

Text Only

Globe Life

Students add vision to collaborative exhibit
In a “secret room” upstairs at Spiva Center for the Arts, an art project began last week that won’t be finished for 18 more days. That’s because it is being created by more than 1,100 artists.

February 6, 2012 1 Photo
Cari Rerat: Pair of graphic novels tell tales of heroism
Witty banter, blood-soaked violence, and old-school sound effects make this one of the most fun graphic novels I’ve read in a long time.

February 6, 2012
Frankie Meyer: Celebrity genealogy hunt makes return to TV
At last, my favorite series is returning for its third season. “Who Do You Think You Are?” is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Fridays.

February 6, 2012
Frankie Meyer: Church minutes can provide details about ancestors
As you compile your family history, you will often learn the name of the church that an ancestor attended. Novice researchers sometimes ignore that type of detail, not realizing that church records can provide details that blast through the brick walls of research.

January 31, 2012
Phyllis Seesengood: Prequel takes Jack Reacher book series back in time
“The Affair,” by Lee Child, is the 16th book in the series of Jack Reacher thrillers and is a prequel to the other books. It takes us back in time to March 1997, where we learn valuable information about Reacher’s background and his reasons for leaving the military.

January 31, 2012
B-easy does it
Chris Watson, a Pittsburg State University graduate and Kansas native, was visiting a local video store when he stumbled across three horror movies he’d either produced, directed, directly written or co-written over the last eight years.

January 31, 2012 3 Photos
Book highlights opposites in animal kingdom
Even in science opposite attract. It’s the opposite ends of a magnet that attract. Don’t try to connect the south poles on two magnets, because it’s not going to work. Opposites attract.

January 23, 2012
Cemetery research can yield details about family
Through cemetery research, family history researchers can learn details such as names of spouses and children, military service, hobbies and religious preference, as well as the date and location of birth, marriages and death.

January 23, 2012
Art class helps kids deal with feelings from tornado
And while this innovative program received national attention -- thanks to the Joplin-based episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on Jan. 13 -- Bourne’s mobile arts center, dedicated to the growth and healing of children through art, had been up and running long before the EF-5 tornado suddenly spiraled out of the clouds.

January 23, 2012 1 Photo
Danya Walker: Non-fiction work examines history’s infamous mistresses
Many times, the cover and title of a book promises a much more risque read than is actually delivered. “Mistresses: A History of the Other Woman” by Elizabeth Abbott is one such book.

January 16, 2012
More Globe Life Headlines

Some of first to rebuild describe life in tornado zone

Globe Life

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Stick figures: Local artist's work makes use of loose branches

Eliminating the state income tax and increasing sales tax was debated during a press day on Thursday at the Missouri Capitol. Do you favor that proposal?

Eliminating the state income tax and increasing sales tax was debated during a press day on Thursday at the Missouri Capitol. Do you favor that proposal?

Site Map

Contact Us