Burkholder Blue Door Studio & Pete Felten's Stone Gallery

Stone comes to life at Stone Gallery, the professional studio for sculptor Pete Felten. Pete "Fritz" Felten, Jr. was born and raised in Hays and is a self-taught sculptor. He was a track star and expert swimmer in high school and spent one year at Fort Hays State College. His interest in arts and sculpting began during his time of service in the U.S. Navy between 1952 and 1956 when he was able to visit art museums along the east and west coasts and Hawaii. After he completed his tour of duty, Pete toured museums in St. Louis, Washington D.C., New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Chicago, Boston, Hartford and Baltimore. Before returning to Hays to pursue his career in sculpting, Pete attended an art league school in New York for a month.

Pete Felten

Over the years, Pete has become well known for his sculpting and many towns and organizations have commissioned him to create commemorative pieces to pay tribute to events or people of importance in their community. His works have been displayed for more than 40 years. The first of Felten's commissioned work to be displayed - a bust of Buffalo Bill Cody located at the Hays Public Library - was completed in 1961. Many are located in Hays and the surrounding communities but Felten's sculptures can also be found throughout the Midwest, including "Four Famous Kansans" on view at the State Capital rotunda in Topeka, Kansas (1981).

Limestone Sculpting

Though his medium is sculpture, Felten's work is varied, ranging from miniatures to 24-ton monuments. He works with a variety of stone including Carthage Marble, Alabaster, Fence Post Limestone, Texas Limestone, Vermont Blue Marble, Colorado Yule Marble, Kansas Limestone, and Indiana Limestone. Some of Felten's works that are easily spotted in Hays are the "Pteranodon" which greets Interstate 70 travelers on the northeast edge of the city and the "Monarch of the Plains" (buffalo), located at the Fort Hays Historic Site. This sculpture took nearly two years to create and was completed in 1967. It is 8 feet high, 10 feet long and stands on an eight foot high base. The City of Hays is amply populated with Felten's other creations and a self guided driving tour is the perfect way to view some of these magnificent sculptures.

Visitors

Visitors are always welcome to visit the Stone Gallery. You will typically find Pete at work in his studio between 10 am to 4 pm Monday through Saturday or outside working on another project in progress. Guided group tours are available with advance notice.

Citizens of Hays take pride in his creativity and ability as an artist and are glad he chose to stay in Hays to share his talent and work. We invite you to take a driving tour of Hays and enjoy the many sculptures he has created.

​Bruce Burkholder Studio & Gallery

Bruce Burkholder was selected as a well known Kansas Artist with an article featured in the Kansas Magazine! 2008 Summer Issue titled "Kansas Artist Trails" In January 2007, selected as one of the Best of Kansas Artists, his painting "Down The Road In Western Kansas" was exhibited at Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius Inaugural, The Main Street Art Gallery...featuring the best of Kansas Artists - Topeka, Kansas. The painting is featured in the book "Not By Bread Alone", billed as "a sampling of Kansas food, art and culture", compiled by Janet Majure, of Lawrence. The commemorative book created as part of the 2007 Kansas Inaugural to help celebrate the best of Kansas.