Fran Volz was born the 5th of 10 children in Menasha, Wisconsin. At the age of 9 his family moved to Mississippi. Having an unusual name and new surroundings added to his already shy nature. Volz learned however, that he could amuse his classmates and make friends by drawing cartoons. By high school, he earned a recognition award in one of his drawing courses.
As a young man, Volz regularly spent hours with his father in their home workshop fixing and fabricating things. For safety reasons, Volz was not allowed to use the power tools, which only served to make him more proficient with many of the hand tools he uses today.
Volz earned a Bachelor Degree in Religious Studies from St. Norbert College in Wisconsin. Many of his creations are influenced by his religious upbringing and background. Volz also served in the United States Air Force.
He began his sculpting career on a cold winter's day in 1987. Looking to build a snowman, he decided to shape it into a cartoon Smurf instead. Encouraged by passing motorists, he realized he had created something special. Since that time, Volz has been recognized for his snow creations and has won state snow sculpting competitions. Because of his elaborate snow sculptures, Volz is featured in newspapers (Please click on blue highlighted words to see more.) at least a dozen times yearly. He is also visited by local TV and radio personalities who feature his works on their programs. Volz enjoys snow sculpting and encourages others to try it. He put together an hour instructional video that regularly airs on a local public access station during the winter months. And in 2004 he organized the Chicago Snow Competition. www.SnowVisions.com
While Volz enjoys working with snow, his real love is creating monumental statues in bronze. He likes the permanence of bronze and the classical appearance these works have. Volz has been influenced by a variety of sources. He enjoys the classical styles of such artists as Michelangelo, DaVinci, Rodin and Houdon; the whimsical subjects of Norman Rockwell; the dynamic poses of Marvel Comics superheroes and the fluid, flowing lines of Disney and Vargas characters. Like his snow sculptures, Volz likes to create bronze works that touch people. For this reason, he concentrates on human form compositions; and less on abstracts.
Volz is essentially a self-taught sculptor, learning mainly from observing, studying, researching and experimenting. He did receive some formal training in the bronzing process by working for a short time as an apprentice to a local bronze sculptor.
Most of Volz's time these days is spent working on commissioned pieces for cities and private collectors. The works are busts of loved ones or monuments to honor historical heroes or events. If you are interested in commissioning a piece, you can reserve a place on his production schedule by contacting us via phone or email.