Mark Cline is an American

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

and entertainer. Inspired by monster and science fiction films. He produces foam and fiberglass figures and fantasy characters for attractions and cities. Cline has described ''

Foamhenge ''Foamhenge'' is a full-scale styrofoam replica of Stonehenge, which was originally located in Natural Bridge, Virginia. It was conceived and built by artist Mark Cline as a roadside attraction, and opened on April 1, 2004. In 2017, ''Foamhen ...

'' as his greatest achievement.Carlson, Peter (2006-04-24)
"Jurassic Lark"
The Washington Post. He later designed and built '' Bamahenge'', a full-size fiberglass replica of ''

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, to ...

'', in

Baldwin County, Alabama Baldwin County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama, on the Gulf coast. It is one of only two counties in Alabama that border the Gulf of Mexico, along with Mobile County. As of the 2020 census, the popul ...

. Cline has also built hundreds of dinosaur statues, including thirty for his own

Dinosaur Kingdom Dinosaur Kingdom II (also called Escape From Dinosaur Kingdom) is a tourist attraction in Natural Bridge, Virginia, consisting of statues which depict a dinosaur attack on the Union Army. The park contains thirty fiberglass dinosaur statues, a sma ...

and nineteen for Dinosaur Land in

White Post, Virginia White Post is an unincorporated community in Clarke County, Virginia. White Post is located at the crossroads of White Post Road and Berrys Ferry Road off Lord Fairfax Highway ( U.S. Route 340). In the 1730s, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of ...

, the park that inspired him to sculpt. Cline's work appears in attractions across Virginia, including a concentration of works in and around

Natural Bridge A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion fro ...

, where he works out of Enchanted Castle Studios. His studio appears in the book ''Weird Virginia'' and the

Roadside America Roadside America was an indoor miniature village and railway covering . Created by Laurence Gieringer in 1935, it was first displayed to the public in his Hamburg, Pennsylvania, home. The miniature village's popularity increased after stories ...

books and website. He often displays creations on

April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. ...

. For example, ''Foamhenge'' was unveiled on April Fools' Day 2004. Cline was born in 1961 in

Waynesboro, Virginia Waynesboro (; formerly Flack) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a principal city of the Staunton-Waynesboro micropolitan area, Staunton-Waynesboro Metropoli ...

, where in 1987 he unsuccessfully lobbied city council to erect a bust of

"Mad" Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military expl ...

atop the city's capped landfill. Cline was often featured in Waynesboro's newspaper, ''

The News Virginian ''The News Virginian'' is a newspaper owned by Lee Enterprises. The paper serves residents in the cities of Waynesboro and Staunton, Virginia, as well as Augusta and Nelson counties. History ''The News Virginian'' traces its publishing hist ...

''. He completed a mural on both abutments of a railroad bridge over

U.S. Route 250 U.S. Route 250 (US 250) is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Richmond, Virginia, to Sandusky, Ohio. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohi ...

just outside city limits. Fire destroyed much of Cline's studio in 2001 and in 2012. Foamhenge was moved to the Cox Farm and Dinosaur Kingdom II across from the Natural Bridge Zoo.

References

External links

Mark Cline's website

Profile by The News Virginian

NBC29 April Fools' Day coverage
American artists People from Waynesboro, Virginia Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-sculptor-stub