Stainless steel trumpeters
take flight at Monticello

Written By Karen Laven

    Give local artist Parker McDonald a pile of 18-gauge stainless steel, a plasma cutter and a welder, and he'll give you three glorious trumpeter swans in flight. McDonald's transformation of sheets of steel into stunning sculpture will soon grace the Walnut Street entrance to the Monticello Community Center.
    The cost of the sculpture is $12,000 and is funded by the Monticello Community Partners. This downtown revitalization group, which is in the process of disbanding, decided that the remaining funds would go towards something good for downtown.
    The initial concept for creating a piece honoring this species of bird came from Wojchouski, who is also Director of the Monticello Area Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Monticello Design Team.
    These lovely birds are a protected species that have enjoyed a major resurgence in the Monticello area, where they remain through much of the year.
    The design team contacted McDonald about building a sculpture for the site because they knew his work well. The artist has lived in the area for 13 years and painted several murals there, including the western scene mural on the outside wall of the River Inn, as well as the mural in River City Lanes and at the Jade Patrick Salon.
    In addition, he will soon be painting a mural on the wall in the pool area of the Monticello Community Center, where he recently painted images on the bottom of the center's pool.
    Amazingly, this man has painted close to 75 murals over the years, the vast majority of them in Colorado where he used to live. He has painted murals for day care centers, pediatricians' offices and more. Many of his paintings are wildlife-themed and western-themed, he said.
    He has also crafted several sculptures in the past from mediums such as clay and wood, but on a decidedly smaller scale. When the design team met with McDonald they requested that this large sculpture would be made as kid-proof as possible, and that it would be built of material "that would last."
    McDonald drew up a design of three air-borne swans, selecting the heavy steel as the medium because it is sturdy and lighter in color -- more suitable to depict the white birds. He also believed it would look good against the backdrop of the center.
    McDonald said he had never taken on such a massive assignment before.
"It's the biggest project I've done so far," he noted. "The size alone is a new challenge."
    Still, Wojchouski and the design team had no problem placing their trust in McDonald's artistry.
    "He's such a talented man," she stressed.
    The fact that McDonald had never worked with stainless steel and that he wasn't familiar with welding didn't deter him. He confidently allowed his creativity to take flight.
    The Monticello resident began the project in June, and according to Wojchouski, the design and the medium were just what they were looking for.
"It's absolutely incredible," she said.
    Still, it wasn't a simple process to undertake. First McDonald drew an outline of each piece on the metal and then he had to cut each one out. Each bird consists of 100 individual pieces, ultimately welded together as one.
"Stainless steel is pretty tough -- literally," commented McDonald. "It's hard -- and harder to work with because of it."
The artist uses several tools including a plasma cutter and says he "fights with the steel, bashing it with a hammer," to get it to conform to his will.
    The most difficult aspect of sculpting this sculpture, says McDonald, "is the actual mechanical part of my welding."
    He figures that those who weld for a living might notice some welding flaws, but he's okay with that. The birds are not perfect creatures, he said, and neither should the sculpture depicting them.
    Working with stainless steel also limits the detailing that can be done, he commented, adding that the curved portions of the body were the most difficult to concoct, while the wings were "relatively easy."
    Each delicate-looking swan weighs in at a hefty 150 pounds, and each bird took approximately 80 hours to create. The creatures are about 25 percent larger than life-size, noted McDonald.
    The birds are each 7 feet long with a wingspan of 9 feet. When completed, the swans will be staggered at varying heights. The lowest will float around 7 feet off the ground, and the highest will soar to 20 feet tall.
    Wojchouski has already seen the work in progress and is highly pleased.
"A picture doesn't do it justice," she commented.
    McDonald has been painting for many years, including his work that made him the regional winner for the Ducks Unlimited Print, as well as placing close to the top in several of the Minnesota Duck Stamp competitions. Yet, he thinks perhaps it is this three-dimensional medium that flows freest from his hands.
    "I'm probably a better sculptor than a painter," he shared. "Sculpting comes more naturally for me."
    McDonald continued, "Before now, I've been a full-time carpenter forever, and a part-time artist."
    That recently changed, however, when the company he was working for went out of business. Subsequently, McDonald has been able to work full-time on his art and has found it greatly to his liking.
    "I'm hoping that lots of work comes in so I can continue doing so," he mentioned.
    "I have so many potential paintings and sculptures in my head that I'd never run out," he added.
    He definitely enjoys pounding steel.
    "It's better than pounding nails!" he quipped.
    McDonald is married and the father of 7 children ranging in age from 4 to 25.
    "They all have their special talents," he said, adding that the boys are particularly helpful when moving the weighty swans is necessary, which it will be very soon since he is very close to finishing off the final bird.
    The sculpture will likely be in place well before the end of October. Once the footings are in and the individual pieces are transported, the sculpture will take several days to assemble/weld outside the Monticello Community Center. The process will include installing a tripod and support structure.
    For this particular sculpture, McDonald admitted that it has been necessary for him to teach himself as he goes along. Thankfully, he is a quick study.
    "I got a big pile of steel and a welder," he commented with a modest shrug. "And I just did it."
    If you are interested in purchasing McDonald's regional Ducks Unlimited print or in commissioning any artistic projects, call 763-295-6130.

The above article and photos appear with permssion of The Drummer.