Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Kevin Pettelle works on his sculpture of J.P. Patches and sidekick Gertrude, called "Late for the Interurban," at his home studio in Sultan. "I wanted to do something with movement in it," he said. (click to enlarge) JENNIFER BUCHANAN / The Herald Kevin Pettelle carves out one of JP Patches' patches on the leg of his sculpture "Late for the Interurban."   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • TV has changed a lot since Patches' days 2/29/08 • Proud to be Patches Pals 2/25/08 • J.P. Patches: The Northwest's favorite clown for 50 years 2/10/08 • Audio slideshow: J.P. Patches 2/8/08 • Video: Highlights from the J.P. Patches show 2/8/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Sultan sculptor's J.P. Patches statue By Jeff Switzer Herald Writer SULTAN-- Any sculpture in human form carries with it a pulse to be found and captured, sculptor Kevin Pettelle said. "I learned by working with human rhythms and patterns that are in everything that's organic," he said. In his 28 years of focus on sculptures of people and animals, he has gathered together the skills needed for his latest labor of love, a 50th anniversary tribute to his childhood heroes J.P. Patches and Gertrude. "The real critical detail areas are figured out and done; the faces, hands and the feet," Pettelle said. "I'm finishing the fabric, the folds in J.P.'s pants, the patches textures and the fabric styles." This year marks the 50th anniversary of J.P. Patches' first television broadcast in the Northwest. The show, featuring Chris Wedes of Edmonds as J.P. and Bob Newman of Seattle as Gertrude, ran for 23 years and ended in 1981. A bronze statue was called for, so a group of Patches Pals and the local chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences hired Pettelle to immortalize the Northwest's most famous clown and his sidekick, Gertrude. They've raised at least $125,000 of the roughly $160,000 needed for the work. Supporters hope the sculpture, called "Late for the Interurban," will be ready in time to be unveiled at the June 21 Solstice Day parade in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, where it will be installed near the "Waiting for the Interurban" statue. "When you're watching the 'J.P. Patches Show,' it's anything but static, so I wanted to do something with movement in it," Pettelle said. "When Ketchikan the Animal Man (a Newman character) came in doing a jig, they'd hook arms. In 'Late for the Interurban,' they're running in opposite directions and accidentally hook arms." The characters have a lot of contrast, Pettelle said. Newman is large and masculine, but wearing a dress; Wedes is more graceful, yet masculine. "When you look down in a plan view, it looks almost like a ying and a yang," he said. The details will make the sculpture more powerful, he said. "As an artist, you want to reflect what the subject is and carry beyond what the subject is," Pettelle said. "I want it to reflect his life, and have more meaning than just a lot of random stuff." He's also working to integrate a Greek flag for Wedes' heritage, and pieces of the show's jokes or props. "When you're working in the studio, you're focusing in on certain objectives: Get the boot right, the shoelaces right, the eyes right, but then how to bring depth to the sculpture," Pettelle said. Pettelle's half-size statue trekked to Olympia last week for a J.P. Patches Day tribute with Gov. Chris Gregoire. The next step will be to digitally scan the small sculpture and enlarge it, followed by a complicated casting process that ends with two 6-foot bronze figures. Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.

1. Trooper rear-ended by suspected drunk driver north of Tulalip 2. Marysville accident backs up I-5 for miles 3. Democrats split over choice for Snohomish County prosecuting attorney 4. Damage persists after off-roading ban in Reiter Foothills 5. Snohomish County stores dangle discounts to grab shoppers 6. New Age of extra income 7. Thanksgiving tradition flourishes at Everett church 8. Transformed Silvertip 9. Toys that reflect racial diversity haled as ‘about time’ 10. Tips for Christmas-tree buying in Snohomish County 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Ruling in the pool • Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings • Archbishop Murphy takes title • A season of performing arts • Budget numbers have official fuming • Wildcats move on to 2A semifinals • Holiday Bazaars & Fairs Calendar • Edmonds’ Westgate Chapel serves up hospitality for holiday • Mavericks fall • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million