Making new from old

Harden's first shadow art project was an angel.

WHEELER-- One Sunday afternoon 30 years ago, Wheeler-area farmer Lloyd Harden had some time on his hands, and he built a little tractor from bits and pieces of used iron on his farm.

Harden's "junk art" -- or "Art from Used Parts" -- occupied any free time from then on. But, through the years, the used parts have become harder to find. "It's too hard to find the horse-drawn equipment I like to use," Harden said. "It's too rusty ... too hard to clean up. It takes too much time."

That's okay, because a year or so ago, Harden turned to sheet iron "shadow art."

Lloyd Harden's shadow art cowboy and used-parts grasshopper hang out in the cacti by the side of the road.

"It's a hot item," Harden said. To create his silhouette figurines, Harden said he's used "a little more than a ton of sheet iron."

His first shadow art figure was an angel, and he has since built six sizes. Most of the pieces are no bigger than about six feet, Harden said, so they're easy to transport and stand with T-posts.

One work in progress is a 5 1/2-foot-tall "End of the Trail" horse and Native American, for the Carnegie Art Center in Goodland, Kan.

Harden designed Kansas sunflowers from pieces of metal mesh and iron scraps. The "painting" sits on an easel silhouetted by the rising and setting sun.

Samples of Harden's artwork sit in a pasture along Kansas Highway 27, and the display results in many long looks, stops by the side of the road and sales.

Harden has works all the way from Detroit to Los Angeles. "That's a pretty good spread," he mused.

Harden's "Arts from Used Parts" and shadow art can be reached at: (785) 899-2675.