Sculptor rediscovers creative talent
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
Thanks to his wife Marilyn, Larry Hamler of McPherson discovered about four years ago that sculpturing provides a great way to relax and also allows him to express his creative talent.
He is a salesman for a plastics company in McPherson and works on sculptures as he has time. He and Marilyn spend weekends at their bungalow at Marion County Lake.
Hamler first had the opportunity to work with clay in his junior and senior years in high school. One of his creations was a Buddha, which he still possesses.
He went on to college but never touched clay again until 35 years later. In 1999, Marilyn encouraged him to take up sculpturing again.
She introduced him to Max Ebaugh, an 87-year-old self-taught artist, formerly of Lindsborg, who conducts free sculpturing classes in his garage in McPherson for children and adults alike.
"Max not only gave me the vehicle to resume sculpturing and to acquire the necessary equipment, he inspired me to bring out talents I didn't know existed," Hamler said.
Most of his work is in the style of Southwestern art. Some pieces have been created for special friends and relatives. Others have sold through art galleries at Vail, Colo., Tulsa, Okla., and Wichita.
Hamler has participated in two fall festivals at Lindsborg, where he demonstrated the art of sculpturing.
He has donated a bronzed sculpture as a fund-raiser for the $18,500 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Kansas Statue project. The money will go toward a bronze statue of a CCC worker, to be erected at Marion County Park and Lake.
Titled "Prairie Drifter," the detailed sculpture depicts a prairie traveler wearing a duster and top hat and loading a gun. It is on display at Marion City Library, along with other works created by Hamler. Tickets for a future drawing may be obtained with a suggested donation of $10. Market value of the sculpture is more than $1,500.
Hamler tries to make his sculptures distinctly different from the sculptures that commonly are available, either by adding more detail or by posturing them in active ways.
"I want people to see movement in my sculptures," he said.
For example, the magnificent bronzed buffalo on display at the library is depicted in the process of rising from a resting position.
Other sculptures on display include a bronzed Indian head, a Buddha, an Indian woman, a bronzed man leaning into the wind, a mountain woman, and a bronzed buffalo.
A "work in progress" sits behind glass in the check-out counter. It is a fisherman and his dog in a boat. Hamler hopes to use it in a sculpturing demonstration for children.
Hamler had an interest in art at an early age. As a first grader, on a field trip to a construction site of a new high school in his hometown of McCook, Neb., he drew a picture of a huge crane being used to lift the wooden beams in place for the school gymnasium. His mother saved that drawing. Now, it is one of his prized possessions.
He didn't have the opportunity to develop his talent until he reached junior high school. As an eighth grader, he took an art class from instructor Greg Herring.
"Herring was one of those exceptional teachers who had the ability to inspire and develop talents," Hamler said. "Not only myself, but a number of students from his class have continued to this day to create works of art."
There are two kinds of clay, plasticene and natural. Hamler prefers the natural because it is less sticky than plasticene but tends to dry out and crack unless kept moist. Plasticene remains soft and pliable.
Using his hands, Hamler forms a rough outline of a sculpture around a piece of styrofoam or other core item. He uses tools to trim or shape the clay and add intricate details.
During the past four years, he has created approximately 15 works of art. He began by creating several clay pieces which were fired and painted.
He then moved on to bronze, which is a more complicated process. The work is done at a foundry in Reading (a small town northeast of Emporia), which uses the "lost wax method" of bronzing. It was developed by the Greeks before the time of Christ.
The original work is completed in plasticene. The sculpture then is taken to the foundry where a sectional, silicone mold is made. The mold will keep for four to five years if kept in a cool, dry place.
After the mold is made, the clay is removed and returned to the owner. Hot wax is poured into the mold and swirled around until it builds up in one-fourth to three-eighth-inch thickness.
The wax is allowed to cool then removed from the mold, resulting in an exact duplicate. The wax then is dipped into ceramic until a thickness of four to five inches accumulates on the entire surface.
When the ceramic hardens, the whole piece is heated, the wax melts out, and hot, molten bronze is poured in its place. After the piece cools, the ceramic is broken off with a hammer.
Hamler said the newly created sculpture is almost gold in color. It is cleaned, then antiqued by applying chemicals which react with the bronze.
Each bronze sculpture is produced in a limited edition of 25. Each sculpture is numbered and signed for authenticity.
"Bronzing is very expensive," Hamler said. "You have to be confident you can market a sculpture before you create it."
He and his wife have spent the past year and a half renovating their bungalow at Marion County Lake. Their weekly visits to the lake make them feel like residents of Marion as well as McPherson.
"My husband looks forward to receiving the Marion County Record every week," Marilyn said.
They were pleasantly surprised at the number of close friends and acquaintances they quickly made at the lake.
Now that the renovation of their bungalow is complete, Hamler hopes to have more time to do what he loves best, sculpturing.
