KALISPELL — Downtown Kalispell is home to unique statues adorned on the front of buildings.
Created by local artist Kayz Lynn, the statues bring a sense of fun to the downtown area.
“Here's what happens to you, you get an idea and you think gee, that would be fun. And fun is kind of what I think any kind of western town needs a little uplift, you know,” said Lynn.
Lynn is the creator behind the infamous statues on the buildings in downtown Kalispell.
Her first statue for downtown was completed about 20 years ago and in the past month, two more have been added to the collection.
“But it makes such a difference to the outlook of the town. That it's really kind of fun to have people say 'Wow, you did that?' You know? Well, yeah I did,” said Lynn.
Lynn worked as a bronze sculptor for many years but decided that bronze was limiting as a medium and switched to sculpting in a paper mâché type medium which the downtown sculptures are made of.
“I worked in bronze for so long. And bronze is very limited in terms of color. And I love color. And I love silliness and I love the idea of some a little bit of humor,” said Lynn.
The statues take about a month to create and begin as a one-foot-tall model to create a guide for what the life-size statue will look like.
Then, a steel skeleton or armature is put together and covered in newspaper to create the general form. A clay-like material is then added to the sculpture to create the final exterior layer.
“I like to see them done. There's nothing more satisfying than [saying], 'Hey, that's pretty cool'. I look at the sheriff and I say, 'Oh, I could have done that. I could have done that.' But it's satisfying to just see them finished and get people's reactions,” said Lynn.
Lynn creates these pieces for the enjoyment of the community and while someone could commission a private piece, Lynn prefers them to be on display downtown.
“If somebody wanted to put one of these pieces in their backyard, it wouldn't be as satisfying to me because this is just really aimed at a whole bunch of people enjoying the lighthearted take on our history and who we are,” said Lynn.
