CROSBY &045; From a distance, it resembles the frame of some wild carnival ride, concocted to whirl you up and around, slinging your cotton candy skyward.

On closer inspection, it might replicate an alignment of the ancient pyramids, beaming messages into the heavens for the Pharaohs to decipher.

But the welded steel sculpture in Ken Arnston’s yard in rural Amite County was not created with any such thoughts in mind. &uot;It has no meaning.

It was just a movement &045; a study in shapes and movements,&uot; said Arnston, 56, who designed and built the three-legged art form 31 years ago at LSU.

But for the curious who would insist there must be an inspiration for any creation, think classical.

&uot;I was listening to Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy.’ That was my motivation. I was into classical music then,&uot; he said.

After being drafted in 1966 and serving as an Army combat photographer in Vietnam, Arnston enrolled at LSU as a fine arts student in 1969.

He built the sculpture during his last semester in 1972 and always wanted to display it on his property.

&uot;When I got out of LSU, I hauled the thing to my folks’ house in Shreveport.

It wasn’t long before the traffic was backed up with people looking at it, and the local TV station came out and did a story on it,&uot; he said.

After college, Arnston became an independent contractor, building refineries and paper mills in the oil and timber industry. Eight years ago, he finished building his Amite County home and parked the sculpture on a hill overlooking his 40-acre property.

Arnston also enjoys working in two-dimensional art forms such as sketches, silk-screens and pen and ink drawings.

The father of one applies an artistic touch to his work in the construction industry, too.

&uot;I go back and look at the aesthetics.

When I build a refinery, it’s not going to be just a bunch of pipes sticking up.

It’s going to look good, too,&uot; he said.