A Styrofoam Lincoln

Fran Volz has carved out a niche as a snow sculptor.

Now he is staking out uncharted territory in an entirely new -- and less ephemeral -- medium.

In the process, he has brought a piece of the National Mall to Randhurst Mall.

The Arlington Heights resident -- well known for such works as his stunning ice sculpture of Marilyn Monroe in "The Seven Year Itch" -- unveiled his Styrofoam sculpture Wednesday of Abraham Lincoln.

His recreation of the Daniel Chester French rendition of the former president at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington appears in the concourse right outside Carson Pirie Scott.

Volz said he has created a new art form. "This is the first time it's ever been done."

It took him eight months of diligent work in his studio in the Randhurst basement to realize the 250-pound, 10-foot-high sculpture, he said.

He hopes the unveiling serves as the kickoff to a Styrofoam sculpture competition rivaling the success of the annual snow sculpting competition, which last winter was held at Randhurst.

With that in mind, he is getting ready to take Honest Abe on a fundraising tour.

"We need $75,000 to do this, because the Styrofoam is not cheap," he said. "If he (Lincoln) is not here, he is probably on tour somewhere, fundraising," Volz said, adding the schedule for the tour will be posted on his Web site, www.franvolzstudios.com.

Volz said he would like to fill the mall with Styrofoam sculptures before the mall's reconstruction, likely to start late next year.

"What's good about this is that the snow sculptors want to start this tomorrow with the Styrofoam," he said.

He gets the Styrofoam from a manufacturer in Wisconsin. He used a heavy-duty variety for Lincoln with a density he compared to balsa wood.

So how did Volz bring Lincoln back to life?

Since he was duplicating an existing statue, he said he worked from a photograph to produce a clay model.

"I tried to copy this as close as I could to every wrinkle," he said. "From there, it was a matter of scaling it up in proportion."

To get an idea of what the back of the statue would look like, he traveled to Springfield, where he visited Lincoln's Tomb and viewed a version of the statue in bronze standing in the foyer.

"It was the original that Daniel Chester French had sculpted."

In constructing his Lincoln, Volz glued chunks of Styrofoam using Great Stuff foam sealant, commonly used for insulating windows.

To get the right scale, he used a stick with incremental measurements corresponding to actual feet and inches.

As for the carving itself, Volz said he uses an electric chain saw to carve, constantly using his measurements as a reference.

At some point, however, "you throw all your measuring tools away and just continue carving with your eyeball."

To produce a smooth finish, he uses planing tools and sandpaper. He also applies a spackling compound.

The Lincoln sculpture is white, which Volz said he prefers because it shows the sculptor's ability, without the distraction of color.

Looking closely at the statue, one notices seams.

"The whole thing comes apart," he said, explaining that the innards -- which on visual examination resemble someone's crawl space -- are filled with latches. "You can pick up the pieces and take them anywhere you want."

About 20 years ago, he was at a snow sculpting competition. "I thought, 'These things are so cool, but they melt away after a week or so.' So I thought of other materials that we could do that were large (and) could be done relatively fast."