With freezing temperatures all around, I figured it was a good day to stay in
and reminisce about warmer days and fun with friends. A little summer flashback!
A full day of fun in the sun with “my very first art fair friends” friends Gerry & Rosene… shopping all of the “treasures” at the Third Sunday Flea Market in Bloomington back in October. And a quick glimpse into the back of their car at the end of the day!!!
So you know I’m obsessed with all things RUSTY!!!
So imagine my surprise when we drove out into the middle of Central Illinois and found an entire menagerie of rusty animals!!! Including a life-sized llama with a full pelt of chains! WHOO-HOO!!!
Heart palpitations… Visual overload… Sweaty palms… this might be too much!
Life-sized animals made from assorted truck & farm equipment parts & pieces. And then left to rust. All with loving care & creativity of sculpture artist Robert Cumpston. Apparently he’s pretty well known in those parts. We ran into his daughter in a thrift store in Peoria the day before. So Rosene called him and asked if we could stop by and he said ‘of course.’ And by “those parts” I mean somewhere far out in the middle of NOWHERE!!! We drove miles & miles into the perfectly flat cornfields of rural Illinois.
Love the bird that has taken up residence in his favorite deer head…
So we got the FULL tour from Robert Cumpston himself. A wonderfully kind & sharing man. And very chatty. He walked us all over his property and showed us his creations. Each one more adorable than the next.
The tour continued… and he kept chatting and telling his stories. I took a few chances to split off to go searching on my own. Good thing Gerry & Rosene were so attentive. .. or at least played along better than I did.
As we continued the tour, there are piles and piles of scrap metal. All waiting to become something cool. Partial animals here & there. Most likely never to be completed… like the giraffe body below… top left of the pile.
And then he took us inside the barn into his studio. So many tools. So many things to see.
Tools everywhere. Pieces & parts. And an occasional llama head…
Sad thing is that he has since retired from making his rusty creatures. He says he “tinkers” a bit, but I fear that many of these animals will never be completed. And that his skills and talents will soon be lost. I asked if he had ever thought of getting an apprentice or intern to teach and help carry on his rusty legacy. Unfortunately, there was no plan and no real understanding of how sad it would be to let all of this talent & expertise end here.
And now back to the rust… it was everywhere!!! Bins packed full. Skids piled over. Pallets with rusty metal being overgrown with grasses. Heaven for those with a healthy appreciation for all things rust.
By the end of the day, my friend’s car was packed full. It was a great day at the Bloomington Flea Market followed by a surprising “haul” from Robert Cumpston’s place.
Click HERE for a video tour of Robert Cumpston’s place on YouTube. Unfortunately, you can see how much of his “inventory” has found a new home since the video was published in 2004.
And click HERE to see another clip of a Cumpston piece at the Antique’s Roadshow!
Apparently he made more than just animals?!!!
And here’s one of the cuties that come home with me…
and is now living under the park bench in my kitchen!
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I would love to know what town this is? Road trip for sure
AIMEE – I think it was a small town called Colfax. Literally smack dab in the middle a ton of cornfields!!! Flat as far as the eye can see.
I own a couple pieces. Is anyone able to visit his home and purchase anything like you did? Just came across your site. Really liked the pictures and article. Very interesting. Glad to see he’s still around. Thanks for your help.
MARY ANN – I’m not sure. Like I said, we ran into his daughter the day before. She suggested we go out to see him. So we called him first to make sure it was okay. He totally seemed okay with it. I think he enjoyed the company, showing off his work and sharing his stories! We all had a great visit.
I have a giraffe by Robert Cumpston and have so wanted another large piece. I lived in Peoria IL when I got it and moved to Aiken SC in 2000. Is his work still for sale. Like you, my palms got sweaty and your article made my heart beat faster. I was thrilled from the date of the article. I have tried to reach him by phone and cannot get a number. Has an apprentice taken over the business. I also collect beautiful pottery so if that’s your pottery at the top, I love it. I have a small condo in Chicago that I will be at in the Spring. Please send me any pictures of your work and let me know about Mr. Cumpston. Such a shame to let his art die.
Is the farm is still available to visitors, I will also go in the Spring.
JANET –
I had the opportunity to go meet Robert Cumpston kind of on a whim. I was in Peoria visiting friends and we stopped in a small antique store. They had a couple pieces of his which I fell in love with. As it turns out, his daughter was there working at the antique shop. She told us more about her Dad and gave us his phone number. My friends from Peoria had been to his farm before, so they set it up with him. We drove to Bloomington the next day… and then drove WAY OUT into the country to find Robert Cumpston!!! Lots of fields, lots of farms. I have no idea of where we actually were?! But yes, if he’s home and willing, people can still stop by/ His inventory is all over the yard. He was very nice. Very chatty. And gave us the full tour of his place and studio space. Sadly, he has stopped making these pieces, and NO, he has not trained any sort of apprentice. I will try to get his phone number from my Peoria friends if they still have it?!
As for my work, you can easily click around my website to see examples of my work. And then when you’re back in the Spring, check in with me and we’ll see if we can work something out. Thanks.
JANET –
I don’t know that I would say that it’s “open to visitors”… but I think with a phone call, an introduction or an appointment set-up ahead of time he would be more than willing to show you around. He’s a great guy!!!
My name is Misty and I am Robert Cumpston’s grandaughter. If you are interested in contacting my Grandpa Bob, please email me at jemi.five@comcast.net. Thank you!
I have a large buck by Robert Cumpston that I would like to sell. He told me he stopped making them in 2004.
Contact me, if interested.
Lynne Marsho
marsho@sbcglobal.net
Janet…if you see this, can you please email me at jemi.five@comcast.net? I would like to talk to you! Thank you!