LUXEMBURG, Wis. (WBAY) — Jerry Marcelle spent his career in the landscape maintenance industry. Now retired, the 79-year-old fills his days with art projects on his own property along Luxemburg Rd.
Marcelle’s work spans a wide range of mediums and scales. One piece — a buffalo sculpted from barbed wire — took roughly 200 hours to complete.
From plants to mosaics
The property holds an array of projects, including bonsai trees, some of which stood as tall as 15 feet when Marcelle first acquired them, as well as mosaic sculptures he said he created as a joke.
“So, I made this guy, just for a joke — my first mosaic,” Marcelle said, pointing to a creation on his shed wall. “Watching the blueberry patch so no one gets in there.”
A gallery 15 years in the making
Inside the barn on the property, Marcelle has assembled a gallery that has been in progress for 15 years.
He said he still has work to do — including finishing a wall he hopes to complete this year — before turning to additional sculptures over the winter.
When asked if an artist is ever finished, he replied, “No, I got a lot of projects started.”
Work made for himself
Despite requests from others, Marcelle said he does not take commissions.
“I do have people requesting, but I don’t. I have enough,” he said.
Still, he welcomes visitors. The Ice Age Trail runs through the property, and hikers have stopped to view the work — some returning later with other admirers.
Marcelle said the natural surroundings drive his creative process.
“If you walk in the woods, you almost always come back with something,” Marcelle said.
He added that he hopes others will find the same inspiration. “I hope they would try it, do something.”
Jerry is also hopeful people will check out the Bay Area Bonsai Society. More information can be found on the group’s Facebook page.
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