Walk into the St. Charles Public Library and look up. See the bronze relief above the fireplace? That’s the work of Geneva sculptor Larry Johnson, whose pieces also anchor the Geneva Visitor's Center and the peace garden at Villa St. Benedict in Lisle. 

For nearly five decades, Johnson has been turning wax and molten bronze into public art that many Tri-Cities residents have seen, without knowing who it came from — or why.

A native of Peru, Illinois, and a graduate of St. Bede Academy, Larry Johnson has been fascinated by clay for decades. 

He likes that modeling clay, unlike carving, is an additive process. Training under Rudy Torrini, the famous sculptor and former chairman of the Fine Arts Department at Fontbonne College in St. Louis, taught Johnson how to transform wax replicas into bronze castings. 

During that time, he studied painting, drawing, and art history, learning the classical aspects of figurative approach. He gained invaluable experience assisting on Torrini’s large-scale commissions and projects.

That training led Johnson to build his own foundry, capable of pouring 240 pounds of molten bronze into molds for sculptures up to eight feet tall and weighing over 1,500 pounds. His first major project — called "St. Mark and the Lion" in Peoria — was a collaboration with his first art teacher, Fr. Heyd, and still stands today.

Johnson kept sculpting during a 31-year business career at IBM, then ran his own studio on Stevens Street in Geneva for 14 years after retiring, completing public commissions throughout the Tri-Cities. Mentors along the way included Fr. Joseph Heyd, Torrini, Virginio Ferrari, and Richard Hunt, with Henry Moore and Auguste Rodin among his biggest artistic influences.

Johnson works hard to ensure that his pieces are uncomplicated and graceful. 

“Form should be sonorous, sometimes bold and other times soft. Its appearance should be uncluttered and fluid,” he said. “The piece should challenge the best of our senses while sometimes introducing an element of mystery.”

He appreciates bronze as a truly perfect “end state” medium because of its ability to represent and express the qualities of the original so beautifully and for its classic history. 

“It is soft enough to be finished with tools and grinders, it oxidizes to almost any color after treatment with various chemicals, and it welds like butter if one is actually fabricating a sculpture directly from plate bronze,” Johnson said.

For larger commissions, Johnson typically starts small: an eight to 30-inch sketch for the maquette, a stage at which he can still work with the client to make changes. Once the model is approved, he scales the work to full size by building an armature , working out installation and security details along the way.

He then creates plaster molds to capture the clay’s form, removes and cleans the molds, brushes melted wax into the sections, then delivers the wax patterns to a foundry for the ceramic shell investment casting process. This stage can take a month or more depending on the project.

The investment molds are then moved to a burn out kiln where they are heated to over 1,000°F, transforming the silica coating into ceramic. Once the metal has hardened, the foundry workers break off the ceramic shell and assemble the sections before Johnson grinds and chisels any surface defects and treats the surface with chemicals to bring out the coloration on the surface.

It's a demanding process, but Johnson says the real work happens before the bronze ever gets poured. 

“Managing to a predetermined project plan is essential for almost every aspect and phase of the completed installation,” he said. “Proper planning greatly assists with the main themes of any project, like scope, budget, and timing.”

Although many of Johnson’s figurative sculptures have been commissioned for religious themes, he is also inspired by elements of human movement and reflections. 

For publicly displayed pieces, he uses placement and location to determine the scale. When he creates a piece for a foyer or room for more intimate viewing, he uses the client’s preferences as a guide. 

Balancing personal vision with public reception is the trickiest part.

“When public perception is generally consistent with my vision, the feedback gives me a sense of completeness in both the sculpture and the public acceptance and appreciation,” he said. “If there are gaps in that measure of satisfaction, then I do want to understand where my work was not seen as appropriate for the suggested intent.”

Some of Johnson's most meaningful commissions are ones locals walk past every week.

When the late Steve Burnham of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors visited Johnson’s studio with concepts for a commemorative sculpture in honor of longtime philanthropist Ms. Jamie Daniel, Johnson turned it into the bronze relief now hanging in the conference room of the Geneva Visitor's Center on Third Street.

He also created "Prairie Girl" for the Geneva Park District, commissioned by the Starshine Foundation in memory of a local family's 19-year-old daughter who once played on the prairie at Peck Farm. The sculpture now sits in the sensory gardens near the butterfly house.

Johnson considers his work with the Benedictine Sisters at Villa St. Benedict in Lisle a highlight of his career, creating an eight-foot bronze statue of St. Benedict at the entrance of the living facility and later the bronze centerpiece figure, “Pax Aeterna”, for their peace garden. 

“I was blessed with the best possible clients who were extremely collaborative and inspiring,” he said.

He also won the competition for the signature artwork inside the renovated St. Charles Public Library, a piece that now hangs above the fireplace for the community to enjoy.

Johnson sees his talent as something to be shared with the community.

“The creation of something enduring, visually available and reflective of the beauty of life has a positive effect on today and the future,” he said. “And like a book or a painting or a piece of music, it is a gift forever.” 

He served on the Board of the Geneva Foundation for the Arts for three years and donated a sculpture for their collection. He also served on the Board for the Geneva International Cultural Exchange Commission for six years and has volunteered at St. Peter Catholic Parish as lector, a member of the Finance Council, and a member of the Pastoral Counsel.

As a mentor, Johnson has welcomed the local high school three-dimensional art classes to his studio each semester for Q&a sessions and judged art shows at local galleries and cultural centers.

A believer in the power of public art, Johnson is currently working on a sculpture inspired by his trip to the Czech Republic. After visiting the Nazi work camp Terezin with his wife, Johnson created a piece entitled “Prayer Memorial to the Souls of Terezin.” 

“My message is to honor those souls and commit prayers to them that these atrocities to humankind will not happen again,” he said. 

The maquette was well received at the Geneva Public Library Community Art Show.

Johnson invites people to visit his Facebook page. Clients interested in a commission can reach him at [email protected] or call 630-488-2447.

This piece was written by Ellen Jo Ljung, a longtime Geneva resident, author, award-winning educator, and glass artist. Visit her website to learn more.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.

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