Fran Volz's Studio - August 2007.

An Interview with Fran Volz

Barbara: Fran, how did you get into doing bronze sculptures?

Volz: By following my artistic interests and letting them evolve naturally.  As a youth, I entertained my friends and family by drawing cartoons. I also pushed myself to sketch more serious things like animals and  still life subject matter. In about 1985 I began turning my two dimensional  ideas into clay and of all things-  snow.  I experimented with different materials like cement, tin foil, styrofoam and fiberglass.  Eventually it just seemed appropriate to advance to bronze.

Barbara:  That seems to be quite a jump, going from fiberglass to bronze. 

Volz:  To some extent it was. I did so after meeting a local artist who works in bronze exclusively.  Once I saw the steps it took to produce a sculpture in this age-old material, I realized it was something I could  master.

Barbara:   I saw the statuette you did of William Dunton and it appears you've mastered it quite well.

Volz: Thanks. I enjoy transforming an idea into a full bronze statue... of any size.

Barbara: What inspired you to pick William Dunton as a subject?

Volz: Actually, that statuette is a scaled down version of the lifesize bronze statue I sculpted  for Arlington Heights.  Dunton was the original founder and the Mayor decided to make him the center piece of a new city park in the downtown area.

Barbara: Speaking of works commissioned by cities, did I read that you created some animals... a buffalo and an elk?

Volz: [laughs]... yes, actually these were some of my earlier commissioned works.  I made a buffalo out of cement for Buffalo Grove and a 9 1/2 foot tall  elk out of fiberglass for Elk Grove Village.

Barbara: I'm looking at this clay model of a tribite to September 11.

Volz: Obviously that day touched all of us. I was inspired to sculpt a heartfelt  conceptual piece.   Its a memorial to honor the New York firefighters and the American spirit. I'd like to see it in bronze someday--15 feet tall. People would be able to walk among the rubble and the larger than life figures.

Barbara: It's very nice, and very elaborate. How has snow sculpting benefited you?

Volz:  Well it's a good way to practice the sculpting process, especially on a large scale. It's also very public and a shared experience. People seem to enjoy my work and I enjoy bringing smiles to their faces. The same process applies to the snow as it does the bronze. That is, I  sketch the idea, calculate the dimensions, and create a clay model to work from.

Barbara:  That seems like a lot of work for something that's going to melt in a few days.

Volz: It is and it's not.  It is because it does melt, but building highly accurate snow sculptures keeps me in shape for the winter competitions. It's also a fun, fast way to entertain people as they pass by.

Barbara: Tell me about the snow sculpting competitions.

Volz: Well, after entertaining people in my front yard for a few winters, I entered the Illinois State Snow Sculpting Competition in Rockford. The first year my friend and I took third place and got trophies.  I competed a couple more times, and wished there was an event like that closer to Chicago. Because other than the snow pieces in my front yard, no one in the Chicago area knew of snow sculpting. So I contacted the National Snow Organization, but they were satisfied with the Rockford location.  That's when I decided to form my own competition. And  Snow Visions, Inc. was formed. ( www.SnowVisions.com )

Barbara:  One last topic I wanted to cover is the robot you have here in your studio.  Can you tell me a little about it?

Volz: I wear a lot of hats in this field. I consider this robot a mobile sculpture.  It runs on pneumatic air cylinders and electricity.  It's controlled by a PC motherboard.  Other features include being able to stand, point, also talk (as a man, or woman)--and even with a British accent. You type in what you want it to say and it speaks. It also has a remote control and a touch screen with an image of the robot. So when you touch his arm on the screen, the robot's arm raises.

Barbara:  It looks very impressive.  So what's it for- what do you do with it?

Volz:   It's got many uses. It's a great educational piece for schools and the like. Since it's interactive with the touchscreen, children can control it. Students can see an application for all the math and science classes they take. Plus it's artistic, and has computer and engineering features.

      I also rent it out for tradeshows. Instead of having a pretty girl handing out brochures, the robot is programmed to talk about a product and move at the same time. One exhibitor said a doctor stood there watching it move for about an hour.  When asked what he thought of the robot, the doctor said he was fascinated by how well it mimiced the movements of the human body.  I was flattered.

     After building this robot, I've got plans to someday build full-scale boxing robots similar to the "Rock 'em- Sock 'em"robot toy.

Barbara:  Sounds great! Well, Fran, it was a pleasure meeting you. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk.

Volz: Thank you. Anytime.