Saturday 30 April 2022

#777 "I Can't Hear You"

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"I Can't Hear You"
11"H x 13"W x 5"D
Ed. size 50
2400

The genesis of "I Can't Hear You" was a scenario I witnessed on a hike in Jackson, Wyoming. I heard a riotous cacophony of croaks and squawks and glassed a pair of ravens a short distance away. One bird was silent with a seemingly aloof, disinterested attitude while the other pursued an in your face uproar. The narrative of the event struck me and the sculptural depiction speaks for itself.

#776 "Trail Creek Brownies" Wall Mount

 

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"Trail Creek Brownies" Wall Mount
18"H x 10"W x 3"D
Ed. size 50
2200

When I see trout hanging from a twig I think of Ken Bunn.  Ken was a celebrated master sculptor whose work I greatly admire.  I lived in Ft. Collins, Colorado years ago and when Ken and Mary came up from Denver we would fish the Cache la Poudre River in the Rocky Mountain foothills.  Trish and I owned property there which had a tributary to the Poudre running through it called Trail Creek where we would all camp along the stream.

Ken grew up in Denver and was an excellent fly fisherman.  Each morning he would cast the beaver pond upstream and return with fresh caught brown trout for breakfast.  I can close my eyes and smell the bacon sizzling on the campfire and see the trout hanging close by waiting to be cooked in the hot oil.  Great memories of a missed friend.

#775 "Marsh Master"

 

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"Marsh Master"
17"H x 9"W x 12"D
Ed. size 35
4200


Herons are long-legged, long-necked fresh water coastal birds which can also be found along rivers and ponds. Their pointed dagger-like bill is perfect for catching fish and frogs. The design source for my new sculpture, "Marsh Master" was the Tricolored Heron which is a sleek, slender and fairly small heron compared to its cousin the Great Blue Heron. Reference for the work was gathered at Port Aransas on the Texas gulf coast and is the latest addition to an ongoing portfolio of coastal, wading, and shorebirds in progress.  



#774 "Tempest"

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 "Tempest" 
17"H 21"W 8D
Ed. Size 25
4200




My personal ideal of equine aesthetic perfection is an ongoing pursuit and at any given time I have several horse sculptures in progress in the studio.  I'm influenced by Greek and Renaissance sculpture from antiquity as well as Bayre and Fremiet from the 19th century and Anna Hyatt Huntington and Adolph Weinman from the 20th century.

My goal while creating "Tempest" was to present a feeling of dignity and drama with a symbolic pose of wind- tossed mane depicting power, beauty, and proportion. As a lover of horses, one who grew up with and has always owned horses, I enter the realm of instinct while contemplating the design of what I consider the most beautiful animal on earth. 

#773 "After the Hunt - Ruffed Grouse"

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"After the Hunt - Ruffed Grouse"
16"H 12"W 4"D
Ed. Size 35
3300

Hunting scenes and still lifes became popular in Holland in the late 17th century when secular art was the rage.  Unlike Flemish art which typically portrayed religious scenes, Dutch art celebrated the real world.  The depiction of fur, feathers, and fish in sporting scenes remain a traditional motif to this day.

The reference for my new wall mount sculpture, "After the Hunt - Ruffed Grouse" is the result of a fall hunt at the Lake of the Woods studio in Ontario with our beloved Brittany, Penny.  The delicious bird was enjoyed on Canadian Thanksgiving which is in October.