Midwest Region
Phil Brinkley (b. 1953)
Jurassic Art
Art Type or Medium: Assemblage; Environment/Installation; Sculpture; Yard Displays
Viewable: yes
Secular or Religious: Secular
In 1998 Phil Brinkley began to weld dinosaurs, dragons, knights, and other fanciful creations out of automobile and farm implement parts. He also works with commercial sheet metal as well as construction tube and bar stock. He is retired after 40 years with the Cessna Aircraft Company, and helps his son with his auto body shop located on the family property that’s filled with Phil’s sculptures. In recent years, he mixed Transformer-inspired figures with the prehistoric skeletons, and a “solar vortex time machine” appeared in 2020. As of 2021, a USS Enterprise – made from sandwiched satellite dishes – has nearly landed on a far corner of the property. Phil was commissioned by the Trinity Christian Academy in Wichita to fabricate a monumental silver knight to stand on a small island in their pond (24), and the Museum of World Treasures in Wichita displays one of Phil’s Tyrannosaurus Rex’s in front in the museum entrance (22,23).
Installation photographs courtesy Trinity Academy:
Phil was also commissioned by the local Middle School to create a sculptural rocket for their sports teams, the Rockets:
Visitors are welcome to drive in through the “Jurassic Art” gate, walk around on the property, take pictures, and visit the cemetery for discontinued auto brands.
See also:
- Art Environments - Overview | Photos by Fred Scruton
- Art Environments - Midwest | Photos by Fred Scruton