Bill Swan (Sculpture artist)
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (September 2024) |
Bill Swan | |
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| Born | William Alvin Swan August 4, 1917 |
| Died | February 22, 1982 (aged 64) |
| Known for | Artist, Sculptor, Horse trainer, Cowboy |
| Style | contemporary art |
| Spouse | Jane Adair Olney |
William (Bill) A. Swan (August 4, 1917 - February 22 1984) was a self-taught American artist whom overcame childhood adversity and went on to design and build some of the most memorable larger-than-life Giant sculptures that became symbolic of roadside Americana in the mid 20th century.
Biography
[edit]The Idaho native ran away from home in 1929 to escape an abusive father. He was taken in by the Nez Perce Indigenous Tribe who were known for breeding Appaloosa horses. This is where he learned to train and work with the animals.[1].
Swan began carving soap as an youngster and graduated up to wood carving, drawing, painting and sculpting. After several jobs as a cowboy on northwestern ranches, he opened his own saddle shop, selling his original designs. After a few years, he was hired by the PotlatchDeltic Corporation as a designer. As a side job, he handpainted murals in the Lewiston-Clarkston metropolitan area[2].
In late 1960 or early 1961, Swan was offered a job as a designer and builder for a new theme park called Dinosaur Land[3] in Alpine, California which opened in 1962 but went bankrupt in 1964. Surprisingly, one of the iconic dinosaurs remains to this day after the area was converted into a trailer park. Before his employer closed, Swan had moved to the Los Angeles, California area and began to work for Prewitt Fiberglass Animals[4].
Another major change occurred for Swan and his family as Prewitt sold many of their fiberglass molds that year to a boat company named International Fiberglass. This was in order to keep production active during the seasonal downturn of boat building. One of Swans first was a 22 foot tall Paul Bunyan specially made for a customer.
Afterwards, Steven Dashew, owner of International Fiberglass soon began to receive custom orders from the likes of Texaco, Phillips 66, Chevron, Exxon and a wide variety of automotive related businesses as these larger-than-life Roadside attractions were becoming the rage. Later in the early 1990s, they became generally known as a Muffler man simply because they were often seen holding a car Muffler at an auto shop.[5]
Swan's notability is confirmed as being a key designer of these Giant statues which are now highly regarded. An example of this is the Gemini Giant which sold at auction in 2024 for over $275,000[6]. It would be a mistake to limit Swan's productive career to Muffler men only, as he had many legacy creations over a long career. Many of them are in the Legacy section.
Change was never far from Swan as International Fiberglass ceased production in 1974. He was then offered a job at Disneyland Park but could not take it because of failing health due to years of being exposed to resin fumes and sanding of fiberglass surfaces. He moved to a ranch in Eureka, California in the hopes of improving his health. Swan died of emphysema in 1984.[7]
Legacy
[edit]This is a partial list of notable landmark (public and private) sculptures which Bill Swan either designed himself or had a major hand in their manufacture.
See also
[edit]- Paul N. Domke made similar larger-than-life giants in Ossineke, Michigan
- Richard Kishel also made similar giants in Muncie, Indiana
References
[edit]- ^ The Man Behind the Muffler Man, Lisa Smith, 2021, Pharoah Books, page 6
- ^ The Man Behind the Muffler Man, Lisa Smith, 2021, Pharoah Books, page 8
- ^ Roadside America article https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/6957
- ^ The Man Behind the Muffler Man, Lisa Smith, 2021, Pharoah Books, page 12
- ^ Roadside America article Origin of the Species https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/47459
- ^ WGN TV article https://wgntv.com/news/southwest-suburbs/the-gemini-giant-sold-at-auction-but-not-traveling-far/
- ^ The Man Behind the Muffler Man, Lisa Smith, 2021, Pharoah Books, page 15
- ^ Roadside Architecture article https://www.roadarch.com/dinos/ca4.html
- ^ Roadside America article https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/46587
- ^ Vintage Roadside flikr media https://www.flickr.com/photos/vintageroadside/51892108104