Driving along at highway speeds, Stephen Feilbach still catches the surprised and amused expressions of travelers who point and grab their cameras.
It's not every day a 10-foot gnome passes by.
Andre the Gnome made his debut June 13 at a family get-together. He's been to many places and parties since then and across more than 1,000 miles in Mid-Missouri.
Before Andre was finished after months of work, Feilbach would make unexpected visits to public spaces with Knotty, a 4-foot gnome carved in wood with a chainsaw.
"Everyone will talk to you, if you have a 10-foot-tall gnome in the back of your truck," he said.
The enthusiastic response people have for his gnomes inspired Feilbach to carve a bigger figure. To keep him portable, Andre is carved from industrial Styrofoam.
"People laughing, taking pictures, honking horns and giving thumbs up - we all turn back into a 5-year-old," the artist said.
Feilbach has ambitions of creating even larger gnomes in the future.
"They're supposed to make you laugh ... or wonder," Feilbach said. "Either way is good."
Since Gnome Nation hit Facebook, tags and likes have continued to pour in after Andre makes an appearance.
Recently, Andre served as master of ceremonies at the Third Annual Gnome Olympics in Columbia.
"It's turning into a big game, for those who can appreciate it," Feilbach said.
People have chased Feilbach down the street to get a photo with Andre before he rolls off to another location.
"He brings people out of office buildings, too," he said.
The gnome mania has spread to original songwriting and theatrical skits by fans, not to mention the growing variety of custom gnomes Feilbach makes, including Gnomerham Lincoln currency.
"It's a blast; it's endless," Feilbach said. "It has become live art."
The response likely would not be the same, if Feilbach had made a 10-foot-tall dog, he said.
"The gnome has its own following; they're in people's yards," he said. "I've just thrown my creativity at something already there."
Feilbach doesn't expect to make money from his traveling gnome. But he is seeking sponsors to cover travel expenses, so Andre could visit a wider range.
"I enjoy making art, showing people and seeing their reaction," he said.
Less than a year ago, the California artist carved a 2-foot-tall gnome in a patron's front yard. He found his obsession.
Through the years, he has created with most art mediums and an array of subject matters.
Now, he's found something he cannot make enough of, Feilbach said.
"I've sculpted faces in wood and rock for years," he said. "I think I am a roaming gnome - I go and do crazy things."