Who is to say what is or is not art in this day and age?   For one farmer in North Texas he turned his land into a showroom as he took what he thought was a fun way to pass the time and turned it into a tourist stop unlike anything around. 

Sure people thought he was crazy for taking junk and turning it into sculptures, which soared some 30 feet into the big skies outside of Saint Jo, Texas.   But for those appreciating folk art or who just want a good stop along the roadside to see something a little different, this spot just off FM 677 about a mile outside of town has turned into a mecca for appreciation.

It now has turned the dusty roads of cattle filled lands into a destination for the roadside wanderer looking to see just what he might come up with next.

I remember when I was younger seeing the big telephone posts jutting out of the ground and always thinking it looked really neat.   Then the landscape changed and more items were added, some tall, some short but always something different.   The field has seen giant sunflowers come and go with the passing time.   Cacti, placed to repurpose the stems and the VW beetles donning at least a couple of paint jobs which I have been aware of, but yet the site never grows old.

To those who don’t get it, sure you can say it is crazy that Earl Nunneley has spent his retirement years fashioning such an installation.   But for those who do get it, you see the beauty in the repurposing of what many would call “junk” into something of imagination and fascination.   It is art in the midst of nature, something which doesn’t belong somehow finding a home that works perfectly.

And all this outside of a small sleepy town of Saint Jo, Texas.  It is worth a drive if ever in North Texas to check out the labor of love that is the Running N Ranch and its infamous Art Park.

Distance To Major Cities:

Wichita Falls, TX – 61 Miles

Gainesville, TX – 24 Miles

Dallas, TX – 94 Miles