#753 "Secretary Bird" con't . . .

Head study drawing of Secretary Bird from my sketchbook.

Tanzania, 2013

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

#702 "Southwest Express"

"Southwest Express"

17"H 17"W 8"D

Edition 65

This recent sculpture was created for a client of one of the galleries that represents me.  

The client was not sure of the pose she wanted so I presented several drawings for 

her to choose from.

I loved working with the Roadrunner as a subject.  There are so any species that I 

want to add to my portfolio that pleasing someone with a drawing before actualizing 

the sculpture is a great tool of the trade.  There are over 10,000 species of birds 

alone . . . I’m afraid I won’t get to all of them!

  

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

#688 Elk review

Elk (wapiti) are common where I live in Wyoming.

Shown below, are images of this magnificent member of the deer family.    

Wind River Descent

Below, is a photo taken of elk about two miles from our cabin on the Wyoming/Colorado border.
This image was taken two weeks ago . . . a major snowstorm was imminent and the herd was leaving the high country.

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

See post #616

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

#687 Wild Turkey Review

This week's blog celebrates the Wild Turkey.

Below, are images of drawings, etchings, sculpture, and photos depicting America's Wild Turkey.

.

 Tom

 Jake

Turkey Bookends

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

See post #616

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

#672 Africa Portfolio 1 . . . "Recumbent Giraffe", con't

Please seen the previous 2 posts for more information about this blog.

A Giraffe has only two gaits:  Walking and galloping.  Walking is done by moving the legs on one side of the body at the same time, the doing the same on the other side.  A galloping giraffe is a wonderful sight to see . . .  

the hind legs move up past the front legs BEFORE the front legs move forward while the long neck and head rock 

forward and backward to maintain balance!  The obvious pose for me to choose for my first Giraffe sculpture

 would have been a standing, walking, or galloping Giraffe as I had plenty of reference material

 from my trip to Africa but I chose a recumbent pose with more Giraffe sculptures planned in the future.


Below, Note both legs going forward on the same side while going back
on the opposite side . . . similar to a pacing horse.

Below, are photos of "Recumbent Giraffe" in progress in clay, cast in bronze, and making the mold.

  

It's important for the artists to understand how and in what direction an animal's limbs are folded when they are in a recumbent position.  Typically, the limbs are arranged in such a way as to enable the species to rise with the greatest facility.  By observing wild animals in the field and photographing and sketching them, invaluable information can obviously be obtained.  However, much can be learned by studying domestic animals which are much more readily available to study and scrutinize.  For instance, a house cat has the structural arrangements - supple spine, etc - as a lion.

 Dogs resemble wolves, fox, etc;  cattle resemble bison, etc;  and goats resemble deer, Giraffe, and more.

The artist must know how the skeleton is arranged,
 how the bones articulate and identify bony landmarks and waypoints.
All quadruped skeletons are fundamentally the same but some species have limited mobility
in the reclining position.

Below, is an early work depicting a recumbent cow. . . useful observation and information for modeling wild species.

For anatomy reference, see posts #616 and #655

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

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

#637 In the studio: Green Heron

Compared to most herons, the Green Heron is small, dark, short and stocky with short legs, broad wings, 

long bill, and thick neck.   The crow-sized bird is sometimes call the Green-backed Heron.

Below, is John James Audubon's (1785 - 1851) lithograph of the Green Heron.

The Green Heron is typically concealed in vegetation and is hard to see because its coloration appears dark.

The little heron is solitary and secretive and lives around small bodies of water or densely vegetated areas.  

Seeing them is tricky and I've seen the bird only a few times in the wild and always along shallow marsh edges.

Below, are drawings created during a rare encounter with a Green Heron while in the South Carolina Low Country.

The Green Heron's neck is often pulled up against the body when at ease . . .  but when feeding, 

the bird thrusts its neck forward and the long, dagger-like bill strikes swiftly to catch prey.

Below, is a clay model of a recent sculpture of the Green Heron.  I chose a pose that depicts the bird hunting and about
to plunge for its its prey.  The heron appears dark while hunting in the shadows, but is beautifully colored in the sun.

The sculpture was modeled with a dark brown Classic Clay which is a very fine product and one 

of several different types and brands of oil based plasteline clay I use.  Typically, if the wings are extended, 

I use Chavant's Le Beau Touche clay because it is sticky and will adhere to armature wire and aluminum foil better.
 Note:  It's difficult to photograph Classic Clay because of its dark pigment

Below, is the new sculpture, "Green Heron" cast in bronze.
The patina was achieved with liver of sulfur, cupric nitrate, and a trace of ferric nitrate.

Green Heron
11"H 15"W 9"D
Edition 50
3,000

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

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

#636 Wild Turkeys

Please see the previous two posts for more information about this subject:  Wild Turkeys.

The Wild Turkey was endangered at one time but has made an incredible comeback in population during the last century.  Wild Turkeys are the largest game bird in North America and can weigh as much as twenty five pounds.  Interestingly, early Europeans named the turkey after the Middle Eastern county because they confused the bird with the African 

guinea fowl!  Years ago, Europeans referred to all Muslim countries, including those in North Africa, as Turkey.

Although Benjamin Franklin tried to have the big bird adopted as our country's national bird,

the Bald Eagle eventually got the vote and became the symbol of the United States.

Below, is John James Audubon's "Wild Turkey".

There are five subspecies of Wild Turkeys and each has a different home range.

               1. Eastern: These birds live throughout the eastern half of the United States.
               2.  Rio Grande:  They are found in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas and some northeastern states.

               3.  Merriam's:  Found in the Rocky Mountains, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

               4.  Gould's:  Found in southern New Mexico, Arizona, and central and north Mexico.

               5.  Osceola:  Found only in the Florida peninsula.

Wild Turkeys have always been a favorite subject for sculpture, etching, painting, and drawing.  

Shown below, is a group of drawings depicting the magnificent Wild Turkey.

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

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