Rising from the ashes|[2/27/05]

Published 12:00 am Monday, February 28, 2005

Most people probably wouldn’t think to build a kitchen shaped like a caboose or a dining room resembling an Old West saloon, but Earl Wayne Simmons isn’t like most people.

Simmons, a local folk artist whose work has been described as eclectic and unique, has been building the new home in Bovina since his previous creation was destroyed in a blaze in 2002. The old home at 644 Warriors Trail had been described as Simmons’ best work, but he said the one he hopes to finish by the summer will be even bigger and better than before.

“Sometimes the Lord does things to give you a chance to do things better and that’s what happened here,” Simmons said.

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Like he did with his previous home, Simmons, a Warren County employee, works with mostly donated materials, mostly scrap wood and rusted tin. All the work is done by hand, and often mismatched lengths of materials are pieced together to form walls and floors.

Simmons said his inspirations come from all sorts of place including other structures he sees around town or maybe something he has seen on television. The outside of the home is modeled after the Bates Motel from the movie “Psycho,” while his art studio out back is designed like a little red school house.

“Sometimes I just like the way something looks and I just build it,” Simmons said.

The original house was destroyed after a fire broke out in the kitchen. Firefighters cited a lack of building codes in the wood-framed, rambling structure that caused it to burn up in about an hour.

The home had been built by Simmons – one room at a time -over 23 years. It had been featured locally by The Vicksburg Post and in newspapers and magazines nationally and internationally.

The house known as Earl’s Art Gallery contained much of his original work and had been open to tours for high schools groups and others.

Since the fire, Simmons and Geneva Shears lived in a donated travel trailer, which the new home has been built around.

The couple’s 13 children have been in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Human Services for the past year.

The two did not say what reason was given when the kids were taken, but a hearing date is set for next month.