Farm Junk as Art

by Robyn Hoffman

Joe Smith’s yard is a junk pile in disguise. This Oklahoma farmer not only raises wheat, alfalfa, and cattle on his farm, he mines scrap heaps to raise a crop of unique sculptures welded together out of corroded water heaters, old wagon wheels, oilfield pipe, drive shafts, or whatever he can find.

“There’s no sense in throwing all that stuff away,” he says. “Somebody might as well make something out of it. It might as well be me.”

In farmyard junk, Smith sees colorful American Indian kachina dolls. He sees big rotating globes that spin in the wind. He sees armadillos, fence panels, robots, and more—and then he starts welding. His creations now dominate the skyline at his farm in Leedey, Okla., (pop. 345) and sightseers come by to gape in awe.

“They just can’t get enough of it for some reason,” Smith says.

A 44-foot tall saguaro cactus made from scrap pipe greets visitors as they pull into the driveway. Then, their attention turns to a 27-foot tall rotating sphere made from old wagon wheels. A nearby fence is full of thousands of tools dating from the 1850s.

“People are always looking for something new in the fence every time they visit,” Smith says. “There’s always something different.”

Smith’s latest project includes kachina dolls made from hot water heaters, old washer gears, and drive shafts from farm combines. He’s also made armadillos, roosters, porcupines, and other animals from a variety of junk. He hopes to make an eagle with a 10-foot wing span in the future.

“Some people like to think I’m crazy for doing all this,” Smith says. “But they can think what they want. I get a lot of personal enjoyment from this. That’s what is important.”

Todd Swink of Beaumont, Texas, was intrigued by what he saw on two visits to Smith’s farm.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Swink says. “His work has character that you can’t find anywhere else. He has an amazing ability to create a little fun from something totally worthless. His own personality shines through in everything he makes.”

Although Smith began creating scrap masterpieces in the 1950s, he doesn’t consider himself an artist. He refuses to sell or give away his work.

“I’m just an old farmer who’s having fun,” he says. “I have fun every day. That’s what life is all about.”

Visitors see more than his fun sculptures. Smith has an extensive farm equipment seat collection lining the walls of his barn. The oldest of more than 600 seats is a wooden tractor seat that dates back before 1868.

“I’ve got more of those seats than I know what to do with,” Smith says. “I don’t have room for all of them. I started collecting them in the 1950s and it just got out of hand.”

Smith also has run out of places to hang his collection of wrenches and blacksmith and oilfield tools. Thousands of tools clutter the ground outside his shop because he has no place to display all of them.

“I’ll never get done,” he says. “I’ve got stuff piled everywhere.”

Smith, 74, spends countless hours and many late nights in his shop balancing his farming and his hobbies. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Some people wish Joe wouldn’t work so hard,” his wife, Leah, says. “But he’s doing exactly what he wants to do. He’s doing what makes him happy. I don’t think he ever plans to retire.”

He doesn’t have time to retire. Thousands of tools need a place to hang. Tractor seats need to be repainted and displayed. Junk sculptures need to be made for his future garden. In between all that, Smith says he needs to farm a little and talk with the hundreds of visitors who come to his home each year.

“I’m always going to have something to do until I’m 100 years old.”

Robyn Hoffman is a frequent contributor to American Profile.

first appeared: 3/17/2002