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PITTSBURG —
J. Karl Lipscomb didn’t even know that his West Seventh Street house was on fire Jan. 11.
He just knew that the breaker kept going out while he was trying to work on his computer.
“I went over to my neighbor to see if he could help, and he said, ‘I’ve called the fire department’,” Lipscomb said. “I looked back at my house and saw the smoke billowing out.”
The place was filled with his belongings and with art projects in various stages of completion. Lipscomb, an artist, specializes in wood sculptures, including large pieces designed for outdoor display. He has also done painting.
“I freaked, but the Pittsburg Fire Department was great,” he said. “They put tarps all over everything, and my son’s Lego collection is all right and all my art and sculptures were fine. My books were fine, and that was more important, because I can make more art, but the books would be very hard to replace.”
There were losses, including many furnishings, the plants in his sunroom and his tropical fish.
“A lot of my good clothes are now work clothes,” Lipscomb said.
He also believes that his landlord will probably total out the house.
“I liked the house and enjoyed having this work space,” the artist said. “But when the fire hit, it was major change time.”
In recent months he’s been working at a studio space on a friend’s family farm outside Ash Grove, Mo., and also been with friends in Joplin.
“That’s all the bad news,” Lipscomb said. “The good news is that the spring season for exhibits is kicking in. I’ve applied to 10 exhibits so far and been accepted by five of them. If this were baseball, I’d be batting 500.”
He’ll be taking his large outdoor sculptures to exhibits in Olathe, St. Charles, Ill., and N. Charleston, S.C., as well as Artsfest on Historic Walnut Street in Springfield, Mo.
“I’m from Springfield, and I remember when some hippies started Artsfest in the park,” Lipscomb said. “There I’ll be taking more functional pieces, some outdoor tables and benches.”
One popular piece is his “China Grove,” which is booked in three exhibits. He’s managing this by making more of the massive piece, which weighs an estimated 600 pounds.
“I call them ‘sisters’ of “China Grove’ and number them,” Lipscomb said.
Another piece accepted is titled “Sophie’s Vase,” named for his little girl. Currently on view at MyTown Media, this tall wooden vase only weighs around 300 pounds.
J. Karl Lipscomb didn’t even know that his West Seventh Street house was on fire Jan. 11.
He just knew that the breaker kept going out while he was trying to work on his computer.
“I went over to my neighbor to see if he could help, and he said, ‘I’ve called the fire department’,” Lipscomb said. “I looked back at my house and saw the smoke billowing out.”
The place was filled with his belongings and with art projects in various stages of completion. Lipscomb, an artist, specializes in wood sculptures, including large pieces designed for outdoor display. He has also done painting.
“I freaked, but the Pittsburg Fire Department was great,” he said. “They put tarps all over everything, and my son’s Lego collection is all right and all my art and sculptures were fine. My books were fine, and that was more important, because I can make more art, but the books would be very hard to replace.”
There were losses, including many furnishings, the plants in his sunroom and his tropical fish.
“A lot of my good clothes are now work clothes,” Lipscomb said.
He also believes that his landlord will probably total out the house.
“I liked the house and enjoyed having this work space,” the artist said. “But when the fire hit, it was major change time.”
In recent months he’s been working at a studio space on a friend’s family farm outside Ash Grove, Mo., and also been with friends in Joplin.
“That’s all the bad news,” Lipscomb said. “The good news is that the spring season for exhibits is kicking in. I’ve applied to 10 exhibits so far and been accepted by five of them. If this were baseball, I’d be batting 500.”
He’ll be taking his large outdoor sculptures to exhibits in Olathe, St. Charles, Ill., and N. Charleston, S.C., as well as Artsfest on Historic Walnut Street in Springfield, Mo.
“I’m from Springfield, and I remember when some hippies started Artsfest in the park,” Lipscomb said. “There I’ll be taking more functional pieces, some outdoor tables and benches.”
One popular piece is his “China Grove,” which is booked in three exhibits. He’s managing this by making more of the massive piece, which weighs an estimated 600 pounds.
“I call them ‘sisters’ of “China Grove’ and number them,” Lipscomb said.
Another piece accepted is titled “Sophie’s Vase,” named for his little girl. Currently on view at MyTown Media, this tall wooden vase only weighs around 300 pounds.
He does not ship his work to exhibits, but transports it all himself.
“Everything comes apart in sections,” Lipscomb said. “Everything I make, I plan to take and install myself.”
He’s had to turn down an exhibit in Grand Junction, Colo., because he just couldn’t cram it into his schedule.
“I do a grid with my exhibit dates and locations so I’m not having to deliver to two different places in different parts of the country on the same day,” Lipscomb said. “I just can’t go to the East Coast and across the Rockies in the same week.”
Once installed, most of the pieces will remain on outdoor display for 12 months.
“I’m really learning a lot from these yearlong exhibits,” the artist said. “When I get the piece back, I can see what’s worn out, what works and what doesn’t.”
Some wear and tear isn’t bad. Weathering, and the smoothing that comes from a human hand stroking the wooden sculptures, can add to its beauty.
“It’s like a barn wall that becomes smooth from livestock rubbing against it, or an old handrail at an amusement park,” Lipscomb said.
He noted that, in the past, many outdoor shows didn’t want wooden pieces and preferred metal sculptures.
“But how much twisted metal can people look at?” Lipscomb said. “And wood is much nicer to sit on than metal.”
The next six weeks are booked solid for him, with delivering pieces and building a sister to “China Grove.”
“I just hope I can get it all done,” Lipscomb said, “but it’s a good problem to have.”
