# 751 "Night Owl"

Loose is how it looks . . . not how it's done.

"Night Owl"

11"H 9"W 7"D

Ed Size 35

1,500

This sketch is a workshop demo created from life at the Brookgreen Gardens zoo aviary.

While I do many clay sketches in the field, in the studio, and during workshops, I deem 

only a handful worthy of casting in bronze.  I modeled "Night Owl" in approximately 

25 minutes on a very warm, sunny day which caused the clay to be very soft and juicy.

For more information regarding loose modeling, type in "loose" in the white blog search box.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#682 "Mallard Duet" New Outdoor Installation at Brookgreen

Earlier this month Trish and I were at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina and attended the 

National Sculpture Society's 82nd Annual Awards Exhibition and the Brookgreen Board of Trustees meeting. 

Brookgreen is home to the largest and most important collection of American figurative sculpture in existence. 

For more information regarding this post,  please see the previous blog.

A  highlight of the recent visit to Brookgreen was the new Low Country Waterfowl Exhibit. 

Last spring, I saw the ponds, landscaping, walkways, etc. under construction and was excited to see the exhibit 

completed and inhabited by the 8 waterfowl species who are now residents of the new aviary.

The 8 species are Wood Duck, Redhead, Hooded Merganser, Northern Pintail, Ruddy Duck, 

Blue-winged Teal, Fulvous Tree Duck, and Black-bellied Tree Duck.

I was delighted to see my sculpture, "Mallard Duet" installed outdoors in the new waterfowl aviary!

The piece has been in Brookgreen's collection for many years and had previously been exhibited in one of the indoor galleries called the Offner Center . . . named after the American sculptor, Elliot Offner.

It was a thrilling experience to see "Mallard Duet"  amidst all the waterfowl and the installation ranks among my 

favorite all-time presentations.  Simply put:  It could not be displayed in a more appropriate setting!

Thank you, Robin Salmon:  Curator of Collections and Bob Jewell:  President and CEO of Brookgreen!  

Below, are images of the new waterfowl aviary and the "Mallard Duet" installation.

Go to the BLOG INDEX and Reference Page for more information.  

See post #616

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#681 NSS 82nd Awards Exhibition at Brookgreen Gardens

Last week, Trish and I were at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina and attended the

82nd Annual Awards Exhibition of the National Sculpture Society which will be on view until Nov. 1.

The juried show features the figurative works of 57 contemporary sculptors and features a variety of subject 

matter and media and represents the diverse styles, backgrounds, and disciplines of NSS members.

Fellows (FNSS), Elected Members (NSS), and Associates make up the levels of sculptor membership of the organization, which is international in scope and appeal.  Hundreds of artists apply to the juried competition which offers awards, medals, and thousands of dollars in cash prizes.  For more info contact:  www.nationalsculpture.org

The Jury of Selection, comprised of two NSS members and one curator, chose the 57 works from hundreds of entries.
A separate Jury of Awards convened after the show was installed and selected the prize winners.

Below, are images of my entry, "Ancient Passage"  with the catalogue remarque.
Last week I was informed that "Ancient Passage" won the Marilyn Newmark Memorial Award

for a realistic sculpture done in the classical tradition.  I'm delighted to receive this meaningful award . . .
I met Marilyn Newmark shortly before her death and have been an admirer of her work for many years.

Artist's Remarque:
"Our Morgan gelding was used as the model for "Ancient Passage".  My goal was to idealize the animal and
 create a powerful image.  I am preoccupied with modeling horses and consciously stylize my designs.
My obsession with modeling horses continues to lay a thorough foundation for my art, just as playing scales
does for a musician.  In my opinion, horses and the human figure are the most difficult subjects to transform
 into a visual expression - perhaps it is because they are both so beautiful".

For information about all of the additional awards and medals, go to the NSS website.

There will be an awards ceremony and celebration on Oct. 31st at Brookgreen.

National Sculpture Society was founded in New York City in 1893 by a group of America's most prominent sculptors.

Its members have created much of this country's public sculpture, coins, and medals since the late 1800s.

It is the oldest organization of professional sculptors in America and has been hosting exhibitions for over a century.

Brookgreen Gardens was founded by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington in 1931 and today is a National Historic Landmark and Museum with the most extensive collection of figurative sculpture by American artists in the world.

www.brookgreen.org

Go to the BLOG INDEX and Reference Page for more information.  

See post #616

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#635 "Jake"

Please see the previous post for more information about this subject.



Wild Turkeys have a distinguished ancestry and are truly an all-American bird.
The big bird has survived since early pioneer days and our forefathers once
feasted upon its delicious meat just as we do now.

For wariness and cleverness, it is unsurpassed by any other bird but it's possible
to get relatively close to them in the wild at Brookgreen Gardens because
they are used to human activity.

 www.brookgreen.org


Over the years, the species has been one of my favorite subjects for not only sculpture,
but for etchings and drawings.   Brookgreen Gardens in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina offers
an "in-the-field" experience and a great place to observe, sketch, and photograph Wild Turkeys.

Below, are images of a new sculpture entitled "Jake".  The bronze will be introduced at the 2015 Prix de West Exhibition
in Oklahoma City next month at the  National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.   The show opens June, 13.

"Jake"

3600

Shown below, is the clay model in progress.

Below, our Brittany, Penny joins Trish in the mold room while making the flexible rubber mold of Jake.

Below, I'm at the foundry placing the sculpture on a base plate for welding and the addition of terrain shapes.

 Below are two photos of Jake on the patina rack . . . after patina and before wax.

A Jake Turkey is an immature male turkey.  A Jake has shorter feathers on each side
of the tail fan and a small snood above the beck.  A snood is a flappy piece of skin that hangs over a turkey's beak.
All of the tail feathers on a mature Tom will be the same length and will appear as a symmetrical semi-circle
when he struts.  See the previous post for an image of a strutting Tom and the sculpture entitled "Tom".

Below, are photos of Wild Turkeys taken last month at Brookgreen Gardens.

The photos shown below are of a mature male gobbler or Tom. . . . a Jake's beard is short and grows with age.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#634 Wild Turkeys at Brookgreen Gardens

For more information about Brookgreen Gardens, see blog posts #625 and #627 throughout #631.

Additional info can be obtained by typing in Brookgreen Gardens in the "search this blog" box.

brookgreen.org

Brookgreen Gardens, located in Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina is an accredited museum boasting the the largest and most important collection of American figurative sculpture in existence.  I recently returned from there and am still under the spell of beautiful Brookgreen.  While the sculpture collection is paramount, the 9,000 acre grounds are an award winning horticulture masterpiece and home to an accredited zoo and aviary.  Over the years, I've come to know Brookgreen well 

and upon entering the grounds - especially in the early morning - I'm sure to encounter free ranging 

Wild Turkeys which is the subject of this and the next two blog posts.

For many years I have visited Brookgreen and continue to know it as an "in the field" experience. . . 

a camera and sketchbook is always close by and I've accumulated lots of photos and drawings of Wild Turkeys.

Below, are photos taken last month at Brookgreen.

Below, is a new sculpture entitled "Tom".  Also shown,  is the clay model in progress before the mold was made.

Additional images are shown of the bronze sculpture during the patina process at the foundry.
The patina was achieved with the following chemicals:  Liver of sulfur, cupric nitrate, and ferric nitrate.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish

#631 Sculpture at Brookgreen . . . con't

www.brookgreen.org

The previous four blogs spotlighted equine sculpture at Brookgreen Gardens located in Murrell's Inlet South Carolina.  Brookgreen is an accredited museum and
home to the largest and most important collection of American figurative sculpture in existence.  Founded by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington in 1931,  Brookgreen is
a National Historical Landmark, has an accredited zoo and aviary, and is
a horticultural masterpiece . . .  it is a "must see" destination for
sculptors and those who love art and nature.

Twenty years ago Brookgreen acquired the first of four of my sculptures for their
permanent collection.  The sculpture, entitled "Peace Fountain" is shown below.

 Three additional sculptures were acquired by the museum . . . the last in 2006.

In 2007 I was elected to be on Brookgreen Gardens Board of Trustees and I continue to serve.  

Shown below is the sculpture, "Mallard Duet", which won the Ellin P. Speyer Award 

at the National Academy of Design in 1988.  The work is scheduled to be moved
to a new waterfowl addition in the museum's aviary next month. 

Shown below, is "Mallard Duet" in its present location.
Also shown, is Brookgreen's Curator of Sculpture, 

Robin Salmon and Zoo Director, Andrea DeMuth with me last month
as we surveyed the new waterfowl aviary under construction.

"Eat More Beef" was acquired in the late 1990s for the delightful Children's Sculpture Garden located 

on the vast, 9000 acre museum grounds.  Shown below, are images of the monument and Trish.

The most recent acquisition is "Presidential Eagle".  The heroic-sized sculpture is also installed at the 

Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas and at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming. 

 Show below are images of "Presidential Eagle" . . . acquired by the museum in 2006.

Go to the BLOG INDEX on the right for more information.

Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish