Bio: Rodman, Kirk- Creates Artworks (2022)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
 
Surnames: Rodman, Kolano, Queoff, Schmidt

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 4/06/2022

From Dream to Reality: Rodman Creates Artworks (2022)

From Dream to Reality: Rodman Creates Artworks



Kirk Rodman stands with the totem pole he designed. This piece and others will be on display during the annual Spring Into the Arts Tour April 23 and 24. For more information, go to www.clarkcountywi.org  Valorie Brecht/Clark County Press

By Valorie Brecht

Kirk Rodman of rural Neillsville has used his creativity to make outdoor sculptures that combine different mediums into a cohesive whole. He loves working with his hands to create new projects.

He designed a “tree” in his backyard with a hexagonal metal frame and stained glass panels he also designed his own totem pole for his front yard drawing from nature imagery.

“It’s art. To be able to plan something, put it together and see the finished product, when you and the viewer look at it, you have a sense of ‘Wow,’” Kirk said.

Kirk is a longtime artist. He started doing stained glass when he and his wife, Nancy, moved to Saginaw, MI, in the 1970s. He has restored a number of stained glass windows or decorative pieces.

The Rodmans moved into their current home on Lake Arbutus in 1996. Kirk has found inspiration from the woods surrounding them. The idea for his first tower came out of necessary. In July 2010, a tornado came through and snapped a big pine tree in the backyard that the Rodmans had used to hang birdfeeders.

There were three branches left on the tree that the Rodmans kept using for their birdfeeder. But they woke up one morning and those branches had fallen down.

“So I decided to make my on tree,” said Kirk. “I haver a lot of glass, so I wanted to use that up. So, then I had to figure out how to get a tree and what should a tree look like. The glass blossoms out of the steel and then the branches come up from the top.”

The Rodmans’ friend Bishop Kolano worked on the steel tower and Kirk selected what pieces of glass that he’s bought or been given over the years, whether its rondels or slab glass. He laid out the pieces on his pool table downstairs to figure out what piece to put where. The tree was unveiled for Kirk’s 85th birthday a year ago.



The “tree” on Kirk and Nancy Rodman’s property allows light through stained glass panels and also serves a function as a place to hang bird feeders. Kirk likes to combine materials such as metal and glass into one cohesive piece. Submitted photo

More recently, about two-and-a-half years ago, Kirk got the idea for a totem pole. His kids had given him a book called “The Totem Pole: An Intercultural History” and he started thinking about creating his own version of the Native American work of art. The Rodmans have many Native American neighbors and it seemed fitting to create a symbol that has been such a part of the area’s history.

“I had it all in my mind’s eye, so I had to figure out how to make it look like I pictured it… I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but I wanted a way to pull different elements together. And I wanted an eagle flying in the sky,” Kirk said.

Kirk’s totem pole features a stainless steel eagle’s head with wings at the top. Combat Parts in Abbotsford made the eagle’s head, according to the design Kirk made.

In the middle is a metal bear’s head and paws.

“The bear’s head my grandson found in Canada. He got a bunch of relatives together and they bought it for me,” said Kirk.

On the bottom of the totem pole is a colorful “mystic bird.”

“The bird is in the fish’s head, so we always ask the question, ‘Who’s eating who?’” said Kirk.

The bird is a sheet of metal that is contoured to the edge of the tower. Kirk’s grandson used four coats of paint on it. The marbles for the bird’s eyes and fish’s eye came from old tin of marbles that Nancy inherited from her grandparents. In between the bird and the bear are octagonal pieces of colored glass. There is sky-blue stained glass at the top of the tower.

“The eagle is between two pieces of sky. Then the glass below that has earth tones in it. The bear’s ‘in its lair.’ So to speak… You get to see it and determine [what it means],” said Kirk.

The totem pole was definitely a group effort. Kirk estimated 15-20 people helped with the project, between placing the circle of stones around the base, digging the hole for the pole, putting in the concrete, cutting and assembling the pieces, and more. He was appreciative of everyone that helped.

Last November, he unveiled the totem pole for friends and family. Like with his other projects, he was happy to see it all come together.

“When you’re doing a project, there’s always something that you don’t like. But then you come back when it’s all done and think ‘That looks pretty good,’” he said.

The totem pole and stained glass tree are not the only artistic structures on the property. There is also a tree trunk with a metal eagle perched in a nest atop it welcoming people near the entrance of the house. That was another tree that was topped off in a tornado. Kirk stripped all the bark off the tree so the wouldn’t get into it. Tom Queoff from Milwaukee made the eagle, with a 58-inch wingspan, back in 2011.

Kirk also made a metal clothes pole shaped like a sunflower from part of a boat lift that floated into shore after a storm.

“The top of the boat lift was sitting on our junk pile. I cut it up and thought, ‘I could probably use this and make something out of it,’” said Kirk.

There is a spool attached to the clothes pole for the clothesline, which can be extended and attached to a tree.

Kirk has also made more than a handful of primitive birdbaths.

“They’re very eclectic. They have machinery parts, car parts and barn equipment parts,” explained Kirk.

He’s also already started designing his lates tower project – this one with smoky blue glass winding in a swirl up the tower. He’s looking for more rondels to incorporate into the design.

Kirk is looking forward to sharing his art as one of 37 stops on the annual Clark County Spring Into the Arts Tour April 23 and 24. People will be able to view the towers, primitive birdbaths, glasswork and wood and clay birdhouses, including some birdhouses from artist Linda Schmidt of St. Cloud, MN.

For details on the tour, visit clarkcountywi.org, scroll down on the main page and click “Art Tour Brochure.” People may also call 715-255-9100 to have a brochure mailed to them.