In 1942, Wisconsin furniture worker James Tellen began making concrete figures; over 15 years, he created more than 30 historical, religious and mythical sculptures in his family’s woods

James Tellen, a factory worker in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, began creating concrete sculptures in 1942 after a hospital stay left a lasting impression on him. According to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, he was inspired by the views of statues in a churchyard out of the window to create his own sculptural environment. Over the next 15 years, he filled the woods around his family’s summer cottage with more than 30 figures.