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Galen Kalbach
Hatteberg's People
Reporter: Larry Hatteberg
| September 7, 2002--You might say Galen Kalbach has been around. He was part of the "hippy" movement in Berkeley in the 1960's. Now he lives in far western Kansas in Wichita County, just north of Leoti. We visit a man who went from flower power to simply flowers. |  | | "Oh it's a challenge. It never rains here." On a little oasis in the middle of nowhere. "It's very unspoiled here." Galen celebrates nature. "It's like a sanctuary." | 
| As Galen shows me his many flowers currently growing in a huge bed of plants and other flowers he points out a flower with a beautiful berry-red head. "I never have enough of this." |
Galen is a grower, creator and designer of incredible dried flower arrangements. But the process begins first in the garden. "Well, it's a special place in western Kansas. I mean western Kansas is like no other piece on earth." It is perhaps as unique as the man who works this land. Galen went to college in Berkeley and San Francisco State in the 60's. "I have no regrets from the 60's and the 'Haight-Ashubury' times. It was just a very fun and inspirational time."
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Meanwhile hundreds of dried flowers await Galen's artistic touch. "Aren't these lovely," he says, as he shows me beautiful flowers drying in a shed. "Look at that. It looks like orchids doesn't it? Basically, I'm taking color and just designing with it like I'm painting. Do you understand?"
All you have to do is to look at the completed arrangements to understand that each one does look like a painting.
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Galen's life too is a study in color. He studied almost every humanity. His studies include architecture, biology, art, politics, ballet and music.
"There is just no stress out here and it's very nice to be in a place (western Kansas) where there is little stress." Except on this day when he's getting ready for a show, his flowers now cut and dried. They are beautiful but the coloring process is a complicated and difficult one and he has infinite patience.
"They're looking pretty good." To Galen the finished product is the 'magic' of his art. "Unlike fine art, where you have to create your own beauty - with this, God creates the beauty in flowers so you are automatically working with beautiful things."
|  | "In order to do something like this, inspiration is the hardest part."
So as long as he keeps water--
As long as the flowers grow--
There will be another sunset for Galen Kalbach, the man who keeps 'flower power' alive for a new generation. |
| | Have a story idea for Hatteberg's People? Send Larry an email with the details. | |
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