#647 Modeling a Grizzly and waypoints . . . con't

Start with post #644 for more information on this series of posts about anatomy.

While sculpting an animal with thick fur or hair such as a grizzly, the waypoints and bony landmarks can be hard to see . . . but the sculptor must always organize the sculpture by indicating the skeletal structure with quadruped waypoints.

The fur tracts should be studied carefully in order to avoid a shapeless mass . . . indicating waypoints prevents this.

Show where the joints articulate by breaking the fur patterns in the right place . . . even if you don't see them.

I've obtained great reference by observing and photographing grizzlies emerging from the water in Alaska.

While a bear's skeletal proportion is unique, the muscular form compares with other quadrupeds such as dogs.
The animal has a high shoulder, an up-tilted pelvis, and is heavily muscled.

Below, is a small clay model in progress of a Grizzly.

Below, an image of the above sculpture cast in bronze.

Below, is an image of the bronze sculpture, "Tail Hook".

Below, is an image of and early monumental bronze sculpture, "Chum Run".

Go to the BLOG INDEX  and Reference Page for more information.  See post #616 and #655

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

#467 In the field: Yellowstone, con't . . .

While in Yellowstone recently, we saw many different animal species including the Grizzly.

Years ago,  it was fairly uncommon to see them . . . but we see them almost every visit now. 

We live less than three hours southeast of the park and griz are routinely seen now in places we hike and fish.
We're very cautious in these areas, hike with a bell and bear spray, and there are some places close to home that we simply don't venture into now . . .  Grizzly continue to move into our section of the Wind River Range south of Yellowstone.

Below, while on our recent Yellowstone field trip,  I took this shot in the Hayden Valley as we spotted a griz  foraging and crossing a distant meadow.  We moved on as he appeared to be moving our way.

The  Grizzly is one of my favorite subjects and I've experienced the bear not only in Yellowstone,
but on the many trips I've taken to Alaska over the years.

Below, are images of  Grizzly I photographed thirty three years ago on my first trip to Alaska.  

I was on Kodiak Island - where the griz is known as the Brown Bear -  and back then,
I used a Pentax 35 mm, and shot a lot of black and white.

Like most artists, I've always used the camera in conjunction with my sketchbook.

During the '70s, my primary interest was etching and original printmaking.

Below, is a small portfolio of etchings and sculpture depicting the splendid animal:  Grizzly!

Kodiak Moment

Kodiak Moment

Power Hungry



On the Rocks

Chum Run Monument

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

#462 Western Visions 26th year: Works shown and sold.

Western Visions is the longest running art show at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming.  

More then 150 painters and sculptors were invited to participate in the show 

which opened to the public on September, 13 and will close on September, 22.

Below, are the four works I presented at this year's exhibition.

Doughboys II 
12"H 6"W 4"D

 Branching Out
5"H 10"W 6"D

Wild Turkeys
graphite on paper
13 X17


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

#446: In the field and studio: "firsts"

The first great event of my life was a family summer vacation to Yellowstone when I was 13.  The Wyoming trip plunged my young life into a rich adventure which would change me forever . . . it was the beginning of a spell that the West has had on me to this day.

Having never traveled beyond Oklahoma, this event presented many "firsts" in my young life:
First time in a boat, caught my first fish - a Cutthroat Trout . . .  saw my first Elk, Antelope, Moose, Bald Eagle,
Grizzly, Bison, and Mule Deer.

The experience revealed the treasures and possibilities that lay ahead in life:  I now live just two hours from
Yellowstone and never fail to reflect upon and realize the meaning of that summer vacation long ago . . .
the vast and wondrous frontiers waiting to be explored were unveiled during that first trip out West.

 Below, a watercolor from my sketch book.

Below, a recent sculpture . . . Elk Bull and Cow Bookends  15"H 14"W 8"D

Below, a clay sketch in progress of an antelope bust

Below, a small oil study of a moose  5" x 7"

Below, dedication of Presidential Eagle at the National Museum of Wildlife Art . . . with Bill Kerr, founder 

Jackson, Wyoming

Below, Tail hook  19"H 36"L 18"D

Below, Buffalo Fragment II  18"H 17"W 7"D

All painting, sculpture and etchings - copyright Sandy Scott

#166 In the studio: Fur con't . . .

Fur and hair patterns must be modeled as shapes and mass with the 

underlying skeleton dictating breaks in form where joints articulate. 

Tailhook
19"H 36"W 18"D

#19 Remarque: "Kodiak Moment"

I've obtained an enormous quantity of field studies, photography and experience from  my 16 trips to Alaska and bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) go with the territory in this wild state.  Kodiak Moment is a stylized interpretation of the Alaskan brown bear, a subspecies of the grizzly bear. 


Where the bones protrude and come near the skin, fur and hair patterns break and reveal themselves thus showing how the skeleton is arranged.  

Kodiak Moment
11"H 12"W 9"D

Kodiak Moment
12"H 12"W 9"H

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

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