[relaxed acoustic music]
Visit Sauk County, and there's a good chance
of coming across artwork by Joan Stevens.
- I did a sign for the Baraboo-Dells Airport.
I love driving by that sign.
Roy's Classic Cars.
It looks like a 1950s Shell station,
and did some pinstriping on a couple of features in there.
There's an airplane hangar in the corner.
I had to put the lettering up on top of it
that said "Luther Field," which was really cool.
- And in downtown Baraboo, home of the Circus Parade...
- I painted a 15-foot wagon wheel on the pavement
in front of the AL. Ringling Theater.
It's held up pretty good.
- Circus art is Joan's specialty,
where her precision brushwork
is helping restore and preserve the past.
- I am passionate about what I do.
I say that I specialize in restoration
because I use the old trade skills
that I've learned over the years--
still hand painting and antiquing and gold gilding.
A good day is when
I can stay in my grubby blue jeans
and come out to the shop and sling some paint. [laughs]
I have to smell turpentine and have paint on my hands
pretty much every day.
Otherwise, it feels like something's missing.
- She also had a brush with fame,
restoring wagons that appeared in the 2011 award-winning movie
Water for Elephants.
- I was able to do the Sells Floto Ticket Wagon
down at Circus World, #62.
- Joan's personal storyline mirrors the movie
as she found herself seeking adventure.
- I kind of ran away with the carnival.
It sounds good when you say it that way,
but I took a job.
I took off with a bag of clothes
and enough money to get back home.
I was surrounded by hand-painted signs and images,
and the rides were still hand-painted at that time.
And it just kind of was an immediate connection that I had.
- Joan ran away in search of her dreams
and then discovered them
right in her hometown of Baraboo.
- When I came home,
I was determined to continue to paint signs.
And Circus World seemed like a pretty good fit.
And I've been there ever since, which is, I think 37 years if...
But who's counting? [laughs]
- Joan is currently putting the finishing touches
on a wagon for Circus World.
- Ta-da!
We're gonna go down to the wagon shop,
get to come in, and start decorating.
- So, these are the skyboards off of #44,
Gollmar Lion and Tiger Tableau.
It was a cage wagon turned into a baggage wagon,
and then they used it in parades.
- When they started to restore the wagon,
took the old panels off
and uncovered these beautiful paintings.
And I'm reproducing them to put back on the wagon.
I love to see the finished project.
- On any given day, in the winter storage
barn at Circus World...
- I think there's around 260 wagons, give or take.
- Joan's artwork can be found around every turn.
- The old woman who lives in a shoe wagon
was quite lengthy
because it had to be taken apart layer by layer and recarved,
'cause there was a lot missing.
To just do the gilding,
I think I probably had around five, six months in it.
I was in tears,
wondering if I was ever gonna get through it.
I swore I'd never do another one, but bring it on.
I'd love to do another one. [laughs]
When the gold shines, nothing shines brighter.
I like the Buffalo Bill wagon.
It's hard to really say which one is my favorite piece.
- Throughout the years, Joan says her appreciation
for the artistry of circus wagons has grown.
- It's amazing what the guys can do in the wagon shop
as far as rebuilding the wagons.
And then, I come in, and I'm the happy painter.
I get to make it shine with the finishing details.
Pretty soon, you've got 30, 40 years of projects behind you.
I never know what's gonna come through the door.
It's exciting!
I think they move together, too.
Oh, yeah, look at 'em go. [laughs]
I just think it's so rewarding
to see people enjoying what I do.
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