WILSON, N.C. – The eccentric vision of a self-taught North Carolina artist famed for his whimsical, wind-powered whirligigs is getting an overhaul that's as much about engineering as it is about art.

Wilson is known for the whirligigs, large kinetic sculptures made by Vollis Simpson. They spin all year long, like a windmill, but it's not as effortless as it might seem. Dedicated conservationists ...

When a breeze brushes through the field just below Vollis Simpson's machine shop, you can hear the sounds of metal clanging against metal and of Ferris wheel-like contraptions turning. But the ...

RALEIGH, N.C. Where others saw trash, Vollis Simpson saw whimsical, wind-powered whirligigs, creations with hundreds of moving parts that turned and twirled. The whirligigs were made from recycled ...

WILSON, N.C. — You really need to be outdoors and looking up to see the art of Vollis Simpson. And it helps if there’s a breeze. The late folk artist was known for his “outsider” kinetic pieces called ...

CHARLESTON, Ill. (AP) - Honest Abe chops some wood outside a log cabin. A whale hunter jabs away with a harpoon while on the back of his target. Wood, wire and wind combine to set them in motion. They ...

A new one-of-a-kind park held it's grand opening Thursday and it features dozens of works from one of North Carolina's most famous folk artists. Hundreds of people were in attendance for the grand ...

WILSON, N.C. — The eccentric vision of a self-taught North Carolina artist famed for his whimsical, wind-powered whirligigs is getting an overhaul that’s as much about engineering as it is about art.

They dip and spin and strain and stomp, these curious creations. What they all have in common is their Edmonds, Wash. creator. Ben Thal is a retired surgeon whose deft touch has been bringing life to ...

(This is the ninth story by this journalist in an occasional series revealing “Hidden America” — worthy travel destinations unknown by most Americans.) Vollis Simpson was a character. He was a North ...

LUCAMA, N.C. (AP) — When a breeze brushes through the field just below Vollis Simpson’s machine shop, you can hear the sounds of metal clanging against metal and of Ferris wheel-like contraptions ...