Illustrated Paperboy (Cleveland, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 23, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 1, 1999 Page: 4 of 12
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Humana
I
Page 4, ILLUSTRATED PAPERBOY, Wednesday, September 1, 1999
Bill McGlaun
His Art, His Passion
h Quit Bgidlstt
After a concert, a fan rushed up
to famed violinist Fritz Kreisler
and gushed, "I'd give
my whole life to play
as beautifully as you do."
Kreisler replied, "I did."
LUIS
SCHAEFFER, M.D.
Board Certified in Internal Medicine
Primary Care - Adult Specialist
Pediatricians are for children,
Internist are for adults "
Now Accepting Most Insurances
m ess ma
113 South College • Cleveland, TX 77327
(281) 593-0485
18955 Memorial North, St. 490 • Humble, TX
77338-4297«(281) 540-8171
Se Habla Espanol - Walk-Ins Welcome
On Friday, October 29, Bill
McGlaun of Cleveland will be
standing on a podium at Herrington
Hall, the College of Education, at
Texas A&M University. Before
him will be a large audience of
students, alumni, Texas dignitar-
ies and political figures, waiting
expectantly. A moment later, a
life-size bronze statue will be cer-
emoniously unveiled and the au-
dience will clap and cheer.
Bill McGlaun will smile.
McGlaun-an artist of inter-
national acclaim—designed and
crafted the sculpture, "Shaping
the Future", specifically for the
College of Education on its thirti-
eth anniversary.
It's a stunning piece of art,
richly symbolic in many ways and
at many levels. The sculpture
features four children — Asian,
Hispanic, African-American, and
Caucasian - rising from the open
pages of a book.
OOPS!
Jo Anna’s
Din#4n
Italian JLcstaarant
Dinners • Pizza • Salads • Appetizers^
Breads • Sandwiches«Banquet Facilities)
Open: Mon.-Sat. • 11AM-9PM
(Kitchya closes 8;30 PM)
211 N. College • Cleveland, Tx.
281/592-4587
Take-Out
Well, folks, it happens some-
times. You think you've done it
right; double-checked all the spell-
ing, the grammar, and information
in an article - and you still goof!
In our August 25th issue, we
ran an article on Karen Harding,
Cleveland's own addition to the na-
I tional contemporary Christian music
industry. We informed you that the
I singer will be at The Ark on Satur-
Iday, September l Ith, to meet you
I and to give you a chance to hear her
[music. What we didn't say correctly
| was where and when.
The Ark is, in fact, located at
1119 North College in Cleveland, and
I Harding will be there on Saturday,
I September 11, from 1:00 pm to 2:00
I pm.
Contact Glenda Coffman,
I owner of The Ark, at 281 -592-7729,
I for more information - and please
j forgive us our trespasses!
Prepared Childbirth Class
at CRMC Offered Monthly
Classes: Tuesdays Nights
6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
September 7* 14*21 *28
October 5*12*19*26
November 2*9*16*23
Classes prepare prospective parents for
every stage of labor and delivery,
including:
/ Breathing and Relaxation Techniques
^ / Anesthesia Options
/ Postpartum Adjustments.
Classes are held at Cleveland Regional’s
Marketing Conference Room
The fee for the four week course is $50
and payment plans are available.
For more information and to register for
our Prepared Childbirth Classes, call
Vicki Pruitt (281) 593-8306.
Cleveland Regional
Medical Center
The Right Care. Right Here.
The children are being care-
fully sculpted by the aproned fig-
ure of a woman, representing both
the importance of teachers in the
lives of our young, as well as the
immense contribution women
have made to the field of educa-
tion.
You don't have to travel to
Texas A&M to see this impres-
sive sculpture. Instead, you can
stop by McGlaun Sculpting Stu-
dio at 104 East Houston in Cleve-
land and watch the artist at work,
putting the final touches on the
clay model.
As you walk through the door
of Bill McGlaun's Cleveland stu-
dio, you are greeted by three
things: the life-size clay model of
"Shaping the Future" rising from
the floor and dominating the room;
a tiny black-and-white kitten who
rushes to meet you, mewing fran-
tic "hellos"; and the warm smile
and outstretched hand of the art-
ist himself.
McGlaun scoops up the kit-
ten, cradling it against his neck,
and proudly introduces you to "My
Dog Spot". While you're capti-
vated by the kitten, and somewhat
surprised that such a prominent
figure in the art world is not only
a citizen of Cleveland but a
friendly, approachable neighbor,
your attention is pulled away from
the man and his cat to the many
pieces of art standing in corners
and displayed on shelves. You
pinch yourself to make certain
you're awake .and still in the
middle of downtown Cleveland.
McGlaun places "Spot" on a
work table where the kitten hap-
pily gambols among pieces of stiff
parchment paper. The sculptor
smiles and starts a conversation
like an ordinary person. You find,
to your relief, that's just what he
is - an ordinary person, living and
working in Cleveland, Texas, who
just happens to be an extraordi-
nary artist, renowned around the
world for his sculptures of animals
and, now, people.
Bom in Conroe, McGlaun re-
located to Cleveland 20 years ago.
For years, his studio was located
in the old train depot on Manthey
Street. He moved to his present
address in April.
In January, McGlaun had an-
other piece of sculpture installed
at the Texas Education Agency.
Dr. Bill Reaves of the TEA, alum-
nus of A&M, contacted his alma
mater and told them of McGlaun's
work. McGlaun was commis-
sioned by A&M for "Shaping the
Future".
"This is probably the most im-
portant piece I've done to date,"
says McGlaun. "It's an important
piece for the campus, and it's cer-
tainly an important piece for me."
He smiles. "I've had a lot of fun
trying to figure out just how much
symbolism I could put into it."
"The closest thing to it would
be, oddly enough, a fish piece that
I did. It marked a major turn in
my career."
McGlaun had sculpted a
magnificent piece of leaping trout
that he donated to the Gulf Coast
Conservation Association in
Houston. At a benefit auction,
that sculpture sold for $25,000;
setting a record for the GCCA and
bringing national recognition to
McGlaun.
"I had some minor successes
up to that time, but nothing that
was as important in my career as
that fish was." McGlaun smiles.
"I got an article in Southwest Art,
then one in State of the Art Hews,
Sporting Classics magazine, and
Wildlife Art magazine. That kind
of opened some doors."
Up to that time, McGlaun had
sculpted only animals. After be-
ing so widely publicized, he re-
ceived a commission to do a foun-
tain adorned with the figures of
children; and his work changed.
"I got a commission to do life-
size portraits of the Joneses in Ar-
kansas," McGlaun remembers.
Jones owned JTL Trucking, and
wanted to turn the terminal into a
Family Center for his beloved
community. "We installed that
bronze there, on the Grand Open-
ing of this Family Center, on Mrs.1
Jones' 90th birthday. It was re-
t ally neat," McGlaun grins at the
l memory as he recounts how Mrs.
Jones, "about four feet tall, drives
up in this Cadillac as big as my
building."
McGlaun turns serious as he
answers a question. "My passion?
My art. It doesn't make any dif-
ference what I'm sculpting, as
long as I am sculpting." He;
pauses. "Art is like a religious!
experience to me; it's like a natu-
ral meditation,"
McGlaun's next sculpture,
scheduled for completion and dedi-
cation in September, 2000, is a life-
size bronze sculpture of Conroe
High School's mascot—a tiger. The
massive armature for the piece
already rests in the back of
McGlaun's studio.
"It's 7 feet tall and 13 feet
long," explains the sculptor. "It will
be placed on a concrete base that
will raise the tiger 14 feet into the
air." He pauses. "What I've been
commissioned to do for Conroe,
I'd like somebody to do for Cleve-
land."
He smiles as he considers the
next question. "As an artist,
What's kept me in Cleveland? I
don't really know; there's some-
thing about this place that gets to
you."
"I recently had a request
from France to see my portfolio,"
McGlaun continues. "It amazes
me sometimes how people hear of
me when I seem to be so little
known in my own town—yet I sell
pieces all over the world."
McGlaun talked about the
philosophy of art. "Original art is,
unfortunately, for the few, because
original pieces are expensive.
However, speaking spiritually, art
truly is in the eye of the beholder.
'Art', to one person, may be as
simple as a sunrise over a pea
patch."
McGlaun was young when
he discovered his talent—and his
life's direction. "I'm very fortu-
nate in knowing my entire life ex-
actly what I was going to do. I
knew in the 4th grade that I was
going to be an artist," he said. "Ypu
have to make a decision about
your life, and you have to make
choices to support that decision."
He pondered the next ques-
tion, then answered with a laugh.
"My life's challenge? To be rec-
ognized after I'm dead. I take
some scolding about that; friends
think I should want appreciation
and recognition now. Well," he
continues, "that's nice, but I want
my work to live on after me."
Texas A&M is investing over
$50,000 in landscaping alone just
to place McGlaun's sculpture,
i "Shaping the Future", in a setting
worthy of its importance. The uni-
versity has also made shirts, pens,
posters, and other marketable
items bearing the image of the
sculpture.
McGlaun's tribute to the im-
portance of educating our children
will assuredly outlast his lifetime.
And, with pieces already placed
in the Pope's Personal Collection
at the Vatican in Rome; the White
House; and around the world in
private collections, it is a certainty
that Bill McGlaun of Cleveland,
Texas, will be remembered and
appreciated long after the man
himself has ceased working. >
McGlaun escorts you to thjj?
door of his studio, "My Dog Spot"
purring noisily on his shoulder, t
"Come back," he says with aj
smile and a wave.
You walk to your car, smiling
yourself, as you reflect on the"
treasure that is hidden in the heart;
of Cleveland. Yes, you'll be back?
You'll take pictures of future
works; you'll enjoy the company;
of the artist; and you'll continue to
let your community know that tal-;
ent and art and culture are not lim -
ited to big cities and fancy muse-;’
urns.
They exist here, in East
Texas, in many gifted people-and>;
Bill McGlaun, Sculptor, is one of;
the greatest. i
Article by Trish Jones
We ran a series of pictures and inf,
formation on Bill McGlaun twof,
weeks ago, with the promise that,
more information wouldfollow. We;
were delighted to learn that the logo
and masthead for The Illustrated\
Paperboy were designed by Bill-,
McGlaun in 1993, at the paper’s inf
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Illustrated Paperboy (Cleveland, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 23, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 1, 1999, newspaper, September 1, 1999; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth759758/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin Memorial Library.