[music playing]
My name is Stan Herd. I'm a Lawrence, Kansas artist
and I'm an earth works artist to create images using earth's palette
and tractors.
We're in Lawrence, Kansas and we're creating an image of
of SpongeBob Squarepants in one acre of brome.
I think of SpongeBob as a creature from nature.
And I create art in nature,
so when I get the phone call from Nickelodeon that I'm going to get
with this amazing character from the history of television,
SpongeBob Squarepants, it was a pretty exciting day.
On an image like this, the real key is to lay the image out first.
There's three or four days of work that goes into it to lay the image out
and find the design by subtle markings.
They can't be seen from the air.
And then we pop out in two or three days and knock it all down.
[music playing]
Nickelodeon has defined how that image looks,
the colors, they're very particular about that.
So when you get into a field of brome grass,
and you have all this material you get from the local store,
then you have a whole different palette.
And the idea that you know when to make something bold
and when to make it step back,
that was the most gratifying piece of this.
[music playing]
You know, the interesting thing in SpongeBob,
when you first look at it, you only see the image.
And you think you know what you're looking at.
When you live with an image for four or five days,
I laid it out,
and I'm walking on it and I'm living on it.
I get up in the morning, I'm out there at 7 o' clock and
I'm playing with it and I'm starting to finally go "oh my gosh look at the tooth."
Just the tooth alone, it's a tooth.
Well, it's a tooth, but in SpongeBob it has a shadow.
Well, when we put the white wood chips down
for the highlight of the tooth,
we left simply the mown grass, which was this gray tone
that's actually a different texture and captures the light in a different way.
And it worked perfectly for the shadow. It looks like a shadow.
So those are the type of things that are maybe dumb luck
more than anything.
But being able to recognize what you're capable of doing
within the parameters of the materials that you have.
And the time that you have, and then all these different things
is to me what the art's about.
[music playing]
American has many iconic figures, but SpongeBob is certainly one.
And to get to be involved in creating something
out of cutting edge, no pun intended,
with this amazing character from Nickelodeon is a great honor for me.
[music playing]
The next chore is to feed the worm homes.
[ringing]
Slop.
Aw, are you hungry-wungy cutie-wutie hoggy-woggy?
That tickles.
[screaming]
Um, could somebody hand me those?
Now you be gentle when you milk old Bessie.
[mooing]
Don't you worry.
I'll take it easy peasy on the old jelly squeezy.
[groaning]
What in tarnation--
[mooing]
A Jaken jelly sandwich!
Your final chore is harvesting my kelp patch.
Oh, this'll be a snap.
Not that patch.
That one.
[moaning]
That'll take forever.
Not if you use my tractor.
But... but I don't have a tractor license.
I got lots of licenses.
Driver's license, fishing license,
marriage license, oh, here it is!
Tractor license!
Wow Patrick, you're really good at this.
The secret is to stay cool as a seas cucumber.
I don't let anything distract-- Ah, a bee!
Oh! Silly bee!
[screaming]
Get off, get off, get off, get off!
[screaming]
Hold on, buddy.
I got it.
Ya!
Got it.
Yay, don't let it go.
[screaming]
Hey, this is fun!
Ah!
[laughing]
[screaming]
Whoa! Ooh...
Did I bail out too soon?