Finding Minnesota: Arnie Lillo's Metalworks

GOOD THUNDER, Minn. -- Rural Minnesota isn't what you'd call a tourist destination.

"It's right in the middle of nowhere," said Arnie Lillo.

Apparently, 77-year-old Lillo never got the memo.

"There's nothing else like it around here," Lillo said. "I think it's going to get busy pretty quickly."

His property is surrounded by seasonal crops, but Lillo cultivates something more permanent. This summer, Lillo is expecting nearly a thousand visitors to stop by his property to see his art work.

"These are sculptures, not sculptures, metal cutouts," he said.

156 different metal cutouts are spread out over his Good Thunder property.

It all started nearly 20 years ago when a weather vane revealed a hidden talent.

"I never thought of myself as an artist but a lot of people say I am," Lillo said.

Lillo quickly realized his hobby could serve a greater purpose.

"My wife used to have 42 flower gardens in the area," he said. "I'd do cutout stuff and put one each one of them because then she would weed around them and I wouldn't have to mow them."

Each piece is one of a kind. Some are simple and take half a day to complete. Others are more complicated and can take up months.

His sculptures aren't limited to one genre. Throughout his yard visitors will find flowers, insects, eagles, a functioning locomotive, even a massive horseshoe archway that's big enough to drive a semi through.

The work varies in size, detail and scale. Lillo even spent the better part of a year constructing the infamous shootout involving the James-Younger gang at a Northfield bank.

And he's always looking for his next project. Every day, for 12 hours a day, Lillo continues to create.

Computers help construct and cut through metal. That's followed by grinding and shaping to give the iron a new form.

Yet in a landscape full of intricate art, one piece stands out.

"When my wife was battling cancer, I wanted to do something special for her being she had 42 gardens," he said. "I wanted to do something pertaining to gardening and I thought about garden gates."

Lillo's wife Janice saw the finished gazebo that sits in the front of his yard. She helped create the eight personalized garden gates and even sat in the custom bench.

"I took a picture of my hand and her hand and made the benches," Lillo said. "We didn't get a chance to spend much time out here at all but she did get to sit in them. We both got to sit in them."

Three months after the loss of a lifetime, Lillo's craft keeps a connection alive. In this gallery of art, lasting love deserves its own display.

"She liked it, yep," he said.

Lillo didn't have a guess at how much he's spent on metal for his artwork through the years.

He's currently working on a large scale replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Anyone can stop by to take a tour and it is free. Lillo will even tell you the stories behind every piece.

To learn more information, click here.