"Floyd Tillman" By Dan Pogue

Floyd Tillman is credited to creating Western swing and Honky Tonk genres in the 1930's. Tillman's greatest hits include: They Took the Stars out of Heaven (which hit the top charts in 1944) I Love You So Much It Hurts, and Each Night At Nine (which became popular among lonely service men in World War 2 so much that Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose played it heavily to encourage desertion).  Tillman's music was said to influence later country singers & songwriters; Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. 

In 1970, Tillman was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Floyd was also added to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1984. 

Floyd Tillman called Marble Falls his home for many years, which sparked locals to raise money for a sculpture in his honor after he passed in 2003. 

Dan Pogue and his wife are one of the original founding members of the Sculpture on Main program. Because of their efforts, hundreds of people get to enjoy free public art throughout Downtown Marble Falls.

As a Local Marble Falls resident, Dan Pogue mastered bronze casting with over 50 years experience. Each of his sculptures has a custom patina, which is a green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals  produced by oxidation over a long period. Pogue considers this to be an art in itself.  

"I feel a deep need for release of creativity. I have been blessed with a God given talent that needs to be used to its fullest extent and not wasted. I use my art as a means to try and create order out of my own chaotic life, as the universe creates order out of chaos. My approach is to use my art as a spontaneous outlet. I like working with clay because it can be so quick and spontaneous. I make my own clay and can adjust its hardness depending on what I need to do with it. I like to let it flow from the subconscious and let the viewer decide what it means personally to them. It is intriguing to me to see what impact my sculpture has on others," says Pogue.

The process on creating bronze statues includes sculpting the statue details out of clay, then creating a mold incasing that clay piece. After the mold is dried and the clay is removed, Dan heats bronze in his foundry to the temperature of 1675 F (913 C) in order to be poured into the cast. After the bronze is set and the cast is removed, Pogue applies the Patina to the metal to match his vision. 

One can find Dan Pogue's sculptures throughout the world in churches, libraries, universities, and memorial parks. You can also find his art in his local gallery and foundry located at 7670 FM 1431, Marble Falls.