"Giant Art" Brings Traffic To Rural Businesses

"Giant Art" Brings Traffic To Rural Businesses SPECIALTY/SERVICES Specialty/Services 32-2-44 A California artist has come up with a unique way to draw attention to roadside businesses and various on-farm enterprises. John Cerney of Salinas, Calif., is a talented artist who specializes in giant "cut-out" art. His giant lifelike scenes are most often viewed from the comfort of an automobile as people whiz by the highway. The sheer size of his work allows travelers to begin ætaking it in' from a distance away. The work often tells a story with a Norman Rockwell-like sense of humor and has been displayed throughout California and in many other Western states. The paintings are done on plywood cutouts, and then Cerney digs 4-ft. holes and pours concrete for the Douglas fir posts and metal bars that hold the creations securely in place. He does commissions and sometimes collaborates with other artists, and says he especially enjoys doing "offbeat art" that makes people ask questions. "I like my work to be something you wouldn't expect to see when driving down the highway and I like to make people wonder about the reason behind them," he points out. "Most of my projects are commissions, but I do a couple projects each year on my own without being paid for my time, so that I can do something really quirky." Cerney says it takes him about a week to a week and a half to complete one 18-ft. person, and a whole project can take around two months. The average commissioned job pays him anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000, and he occasionally takes on small-sized art commissions as well. A few of his giant cut-out pieces include: 18-ft. high plywood workers harvesting iceberg lettuce; an irrigator with his boot on a shovel; a farmer crouching with his hand cupping some soil; and women in head scarves working to thin just-budding crops. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Cerney Murals, 543-C Brunken Ave., Salinas, Calif. 93901 (ph 831 758-8403; john@ johncerney.com; www.johncerney.com).

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