He Makes Sculptures Out Of Odds And Ends

1999 - Volume #23, Issue #4, Page #22

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Nebraska farmer Eric Pekarek spends a good deal of his free time making yard art out of odds and ends he finds around his place or at garage sales.
  He took up the hobby five years ago, making things strictly for family and friends. So far, he's finished nearly 20 of the metal sculptures, which take a half day to two days to complete from welding them together to giving them the final coat of paint.
  Here's a sample of Pekarek's handiwork.

Owl - Built from a combine drive wheel rim and disc blade, it camouflages Pekarek's Mom's trash burner. Wings are windmill fins. Feet are rebar. Eyes are carriage bolts with washers. Beak is a sickle section guard.

Cowboy - Six-foot cowboy has a milk can for a body, a freon tank for a head and pipes for arms and legs. Hat is a fan shroud off an old Moline combine. Lariat is rebar as are hands.

Pig - A 10-lb. freon tank is the body of this 1-ft. tall oinker. Head is a front wheel hub off an old Chevy car. Ears were bent from tin, tail is length of rod heated and twisted and legs are pipe.

Turkey - Has a 30-gal. barrel body and windmill fins for wings and tail feathers. Beak is a sickle guard. It has rebar for feet, pipe for a head, and a neck from a part of a late 1960's Moline 3496 combine. About 4 ft. tall.

Sunflowers - Constructed out of rasp bars off the old Moline 3496, they stand 6 ft. tall on pipe stalks and with pipe leaves.

Grasshopper - "Johnny Hopper" is 11 in. long by 6 in. wide and sits atop Pekarek's garage. Body and head are made out of 6 in. tubing. Eyes are lug nuts off a truck. Antenna are #9 wire and legs are out of rebar. Wings are windmill fins.

Pheasants - Bodies built from a pair of 12-in. dia. packer wheels off Deere drill. Heads are worn out drive sprockets from grain elevators on old combine. Tails are windmill fins. Necks are 1-in. sq. tubing.

Guinea Hen - Body is Deere packer wheel. Wings are windmill fins. Neck is sq. tubing. Head is guard off mower sickle section.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eric Pekarek, Rt. 1, Box 193A, Valparaiso, Neb. 68056 (ph 402 784-3793).

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He Makes Sculptures Out Of Odds And Ends AG WORLD Ag World 23-4-22 Nebraska farmer Eric Pekarek spends a good deal of his free time making yard art out of odds and ends he finds around his place or at garage sales. He took up the hobby five years ago, making things strictly for family and friends. So far, he's finished nearly 20 of the metal sculptures, which take a half day to two days to complete from welding them together to giving them the final coat of paint. Here's a sample of Pekarek's handiwork. Owl - Built from a combine drive wheel rim and disc blade, it camouflages Pekarek's Mom's trash burner. Wings are windmill fins. Feet are rebar. Eyes are carriage bolts with washers. Beak is a sickle section guard. Cowboy - Six-foot cowboy has a milk can for a body, a freon tank for a head and pipes for arms and legs. Hat is a fan shroud off an old Moline combine. Lariat is rebar as are hands. Pig - A 10-lb. freon tank is the body of this 1-ft. tall oinker. Head is a front wheel hub off an old Chevy car. Ears were bent from tin, tail is length of rod heated and twisted and legs are pipe. Turkey - Has a 30-gal. barrel body and windmill fins for wings and tail feathers. Beak is a sickle guard. It has rebar for feet, pipe for a head, and a neck from a part of a late 1960's Moline 3496 combine. About 4 ft. tall. Sunflowers - Constructed out of rasp bars off the old Moline 3496, they stand 6 ft. tall on pipe stalks and with pipe leaves. Grasshopper - "Johnny Hopper" is 11 in. long by 6 in. wide and sits atop Pekarek's garage. Body and head are made out of 6 in. tubing. Eyes are lug nuts off a truck. Antenna are #9 wire and legs are out of rebar. Wings are windmill fins. Pheasants - Bodies built from a pair of 12-in. dia. packer wheels off Deere drill. Heads are worn out drive sprockets from grain elevators on old combine. Tails are windmill fins. Necks are 1-in. sq. tubing. Guinea Hen - Body is Deere packer wheel. Wings are windmill fins. Neck is sq. tubing. Head is guard off mower sickle section. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eric Pekarek, Rt. 1, Box 193A, Valparaiso, Neb. 68056 (ph 402 784-3793).

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