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An Iowa Original Who Sculpted Her Own Way
All artists have a favorite medium. Only a very few prefer U.S. Grade AA salted butter.
Norma “Duffy” Lyon was the most famous sculptor working in dairy and one of the most famous Iowans, period, by vocation if not by name. From 1960 until her retirement in 2006, she sculpted out of butter a life-sized cow for display at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines every year. Her cows were stunning for their precision and lifelike detail. She took great care to get them right, reportedly popping in to see her own family’s dairy herd as she worked to refresh her memory of certain details, especially ears, which she said were the most challenging feature to capture. To keep things lively, she alternated breeds, even though her family operation specialized in Jersey.
Ms. Lyon’s diligence paid off, as her cow sculptures drew huge crowds at the Iowa State Fair and became a major attraction and a viewing tradition passed down by parents to children. To the entertainment of her audience, Ms. Lyon often accompanied her traditional cow figure with representations of famous people, including Elvis Presley and John Wayne; recreations of famous works of art such as “American Gothic” by Iowa artist Grant Wood; and even an elaborate representation of the Last Supper.
Her talent and dedication brought invitations from other state fairs around the country and appearances on national television shows such as “Today,” “The Tonight Show,” and “Late Night With David Letterman.” In 1963, on the television show “To Tell the Truth,” Ms. Lyon’s authenticity stood out. She easily was identified as the real deal among the contestants claiming to be her.
She really was the real deal. Ms. Lyon modestly described herself as a dairy farmer’s wife. But she embodied the Iowa work ethic and appreciation for what it takes to bring food from farm to table. She had a degree in animal husbandry from what is now Iowa State University, where she met a dairy science major named Joe who became her husband. The Lyons raised nine children on their dairy farm in central Iowa north of Toledo.
The Lyon children have good memories of traveling with their mother to the state fair to help with her butter sculptures, stay in hotels, and eat at restaurants, which they didn’t do much at home.
In keeping with the Iowa sense of resourcefulness, Ms. Lyon didn’t use hundreds of pounds of butter for her sculptures and throw it all away. She salvaged, froze, and re-used as much butter as she could from year to year. Duffy Lyon, known as the “Butter Cow Lady” to children all over Iowa, was an Iowa original. She died on June 26 in Marshalltown at age 81.
She is survived by her husband of 61 years, G. Joe Lyon, her nine children, 23 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Friday, July 01, 2011
All artists have a favorite medium. Only a very few prefer U.S. Grade AA salted butter.
Norma “Duffy” Lyon was the most famous sculptor working in dairy and one of the most famous Iowans, period, by vocation if not by name. From 1960 until her retirement in 2006, she sculpted out of butter a life-sized cow for display at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines every year. Her cows were stunning for their precision and lifelike detail. She took great care to get them right, reportedly popping in to see her own family’s dairy herd as she worked to refresh her memory of certain details, especially ears, which she said were the most challenging feature to capture. To keep things lively, she alternated breeds, even though her family operation specialized in Jersey.
Ms. Lyon’s diligence paid off, as her cow sculptures drew huge crowds at the Iowa State Fair and became a major attraction and a viewing tradition passed down by parents to children. To the entertainment of her audience, Ms. Lyon often accompanied her traditional cow figure with representations of famous people, including Elvis Presley and John Wayne; recreations of famous works of art such as “American Gothic” by Iowa artist Grant Wood; and even an elaborate representation of the Last Supper.
Her talent and dedication brought invitations from other state fairs around the country and appearances on national television shows such as “Today,” “The Tonight Show,” and “Late Night With David Letterman.” In 1963, on the television show “To Tell the Truth,” Ms. Lyon’s authenticity stood out. She easily was identified as the real deal among the contestants claiming to be her.
She really was the real deal. Ms. Lyon modestly described herself as a dairy farmer’s wife. But she embodied the Iowa work ethic and appreciation for what it takes to bring food from farm to table. She had a degree in animal husbandry from what is now Iowa State University, where she met a dairy science major named Joe who became her husband. The Lyons raised nine children on their dairy farm in central Iowa north of Toledo.
The Lyon children have good memories of traveling with their mother to the state fair to help with her butter sculptures, stay in hotels, and eat at restaurants, which they didn’t do much at home.
In keeping with the Iowa sense of resourcefulness, Ms. Lyon didn’t use hundreds of pounds of butter for her sculptures and throw it all away. She salvaged, froze, and re-used as much butter as she could from year to year. Duffy Lyon, known as the “Butter Cow Lady” to children all over Iowa, was an Iowa original. She died on June 26 in Marshalltown at age 81.
She is survived by her husband of 61 years, G. Joe Lyon, her nine children, 23 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Friday, July 01, 2011