ORD, Neb. (KOLN) – Trevor Fischer transforms car parts into artwork at his dealership, creating metal sculptures inspired by wildlife and memories of his late wife.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you can tell, I\u2019m an improviser,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n
Fischer\u2019s creations include a peacock made from salvaged auto parts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is probably one of my first ones that I did a little more elaborate, the peacock. But it\u2019s just an outlet for my frustrations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fischer also uses his art to deal with grief. He created a memorial display for his wife, Debbie.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole display there is a memorial to my beautiful wife. It\u2019s made from her jewelry and the bling off of her shoes,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n
He makes metal flowers to place on Debbie\u2019s grave.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2015, my wife got really, really sick. She had two heart surgeries and two spine surgeries. And I decided to start spending more time with her,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n
Fischer grew up in Burwell while Debbie grew up in Ord. They married in 1968 and moved to Ord to raise their family, where he ran Fischer Auto Sales.<\/p>\n
Fischer started making sculptures about 15 years after they married.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my wife was my biggest critic and she was my biggest appraiser. She wasn\u2019t afraid to tell me when she didn\u2019t think something looked right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fischer found his answer to loss in the shop.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what happens to a lot of guys. They retire and come to town and they don\u2019t have anything to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fischer gets his art supplies from a salvage yard that he used when he ran Fischer Auto Sales. His business has been open since 1981. The displays that hold his pieces are made from metal scraps.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of our trade-ins we got was not fit to be back on the road, so they went to Burwell to be junked out, and that\u2019s where I get all these parts,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n
He uses engine pieces, differential and transmission parts, drive shafts, flex plates, flywheels, camshafts, push rods and timing chains.<\/p>\n
Fischer\u2019s creations are not for sale.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just like people that come in and see them. I get more enjoyment out of that than I ever would any money I got out of them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His daughter and granddaughter use the same salvage yard to make their own artwork, which they sell in a gift shop called Junkyard Dog Designs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey was a lot more creative than I ever was to start out with, so I didn\u2019t have to pass much down at all,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n
Fischer\u2019s creations have become more intricate over time.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The bull) was a mascot of the school I went to, the Burma Longhorns, and so I had to do that. Since I did a Chanticleer chicken (for Ord\u2019s mascot), I had to do a Burma Longhorn,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He has completed about 35 sculptures. The gallery includes a dinosaur skeleton, a lion, seahorses, a peacock, a bicycle, an eagle, the head of a longhorn and photos of other award-winning sculptures, along with memorial pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess I have a little trouble too because I love people telling me that looks good,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n
The Ord community helps him heal and create more pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, it\u2019s hard to believe how many people come out to help me. It\u2019s pretty neat living in a small town. The people in Ord have been really, really great,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n
The next project keeps him going.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the eagle started and I finished it after she passed away. And right now I\u2019m working on three eagles that are sitting in a tree,\u201d Fischer said.<\/p>\n
The public is welcome to look through his artwork inside the Fischer Auto Sales building at 1404 M Street in Ord.<\/p>\n