For three weeks, undersized babies floating in oversized jars, real monkey skulls and a life-sized rocking horse with glowing red eyes welcomed Brian Blair to work each day. On North Granville Avenue, Blair diligently completed Christmas-themed sculptures among the remnants of Scarenavia, the haunted house Blair has converted into his studio for the past five years.
"It's a constant juggle around here," Blair said. "Usually the day after [the haunt closes], we're tearing it down, moving on to the next thing."
With the help of his assistant, the 1992 Ball State graduate hand-carved and installed 12-foot-tall sculptures in the shape of snowmen, jack-in-the-boxes, nutcrackers, dolls and elves for the first annual Light Up Downtown.
According to their website, Light Up Downtown is Muncie Downtown Development's newest project to engage Muncie citizens in downtown culture. It is a series of events designed to celebrate the holiday season.
"They're wanting to get it to where Muncie would be a big Christmas attraction," Blair said. "They're wanting to ... keep adding to it."
That's good news for Blair, who looks forward to regular work creating more pieces to add to the 10 sculptures that currently line Walnut Street.
The process of creating these sculptures starts with a commission from a client. After settling on a design, Blair begins sculpting 4-by-8-by-2 feet foam blocks made from the same material that florists use in their flower arrangements. He uses chainsaws and handsaws to create the form of the sculpture. He then covers the sculpture in a hard shell coating to weatherproof it. A detailed paint job finishes the sculpture off.
The Christmas sculptures were a challenge for Blair not only because of the small amount of time he had, but also because of the small amount space at his disposal. With a 3,000 square foot haunted house in his studio, Blair's work space was cut in half.
"It was tight quarters," Blair said. "I was working morning and night."
But Blair said he feels the limitations are worth working in for the chance to be creative. The Indianapolis native graduated with a degree in graphic design, but said he wanted to do something more hands on than a desk job.
"With this I get to paint, sculpt and use everything," Blair said. "It suits my personality a bit better."
He started his sculpting business by painting murals and doing some pieces for children's museums. New jobs came from word of mouth advertising until the company got a website, which Blair said receives a lot of hits and is great for promoting the business.
Now Blair's work can be found all over the country in laser tag centers, miniature golf courses, retail stores and other haunt attractions. He has shipped pieces as far away as California and New York.
One of his most recognizable pieces is the massive 40-foot tall candle with a 10-foot tall flame in front of Warm Glow Candle Company off Interstate 70 in Centerville, Ind. Blair said he will be adding several smaller candles to that installation this summer.
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