#725 "Moose Flats Study"

"Moose Flats Study"
9"H 10"W 5"D
Edition 100


Shown above is the original study for the "Moose Flats" monument.

The study is available at the National of Wildlife Art Museum in Jackson, Wyoming 

$1,500

Shown below is the "Moose Flats" installation.  The monument was commissioned by the National Museum of Wildlife Art, located in Jackson Wyoming and is installed on the Sculpture Trail at the museum.  For more information about the creation of the sculpture, type moose flats in the blog search bar.

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

#656 In the field . . . birthday #72

Last week was my birthday and we returned to the rustic
cabin in remote northern Colorado where we celebrated 

July 24 last year.  We lived in Colorado for many years
and know the area very well . . . we know all of the backroads,

 the best places to fish for Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout,
the trails to the little streams where the Brook Trout
hang out,and where to see wildlife.
The old camp where we stay is close to
timberline and is heavily populated with moose . . .
we never fail to see them.





Below, are images of moose taken last week in the high country.

Below, I spotted a recumbent young bull in the shade from a distance . . .
we left him at peace but got him with a telephoto.

Below, Trish is fishing at a favorite high country lake where we saw nesting Ospreys.

Shown below, is another favorite lake . . . I photographed a Mule Deer doe while enjoying a cold beer and the scenery.

The temperature dips down at night and the old housekeeping cabin is heated with an ancient wood burning cookstove.
The wood and kindling is provided for us, chopped, split, and always plentiful . . . I'm used to wood heat and love it!
Below, is a photo of the dogs warming up on a chilly morning in front of the cookstove while the boiled coffee perks.

The proprietors of the camp are fellow bird lovers and have hummingbird feeders everywhere.  

Below, are photos of Trish, a feeder outside our cabin, and along with the resident Chipmunk,
we could count on a live model and plenty of entertainment during the cocktail hour!

Below, is an early etching of hummingbirds.

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

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

#648 Modeling a Moose and waypoints . . . con't

Please start with Blog # 644 for more information about this series of posts about anatomy.

Moose are the largest members of the deer family with broad, palmate antlers, long legs,
and a bulbous-shaped nose and like most quadrupeds, walk on their toes.

When I'm blocking in a sculpture of a quadruped, the first form, proportion, placement, waypoint,

 and bony landmark that I identify on my subject is always the scapula and where it joins the humerus.

I pay special attention to the silhouette on the top line caused by the the bulge of the scapula.

It is where the humerus joins the scapula that is paramount and of special interest to me when starting a block-in.
Next, the pelvic bone is considered and where the femur joins the pelvis and where the knee articulates.

Note:  In man the scapula is fixed, in quadrupeds it moves forward and backward as the animal moves.

Below, is a rough clay block-in of a moose showing waypoints and bony landmarks.
Notice, the three waypoints in the pelvic bone region"  The highest point is the top of the hipbone; the middle
is where the femur attaches to the pelvis with a ball socket joint; and the rearward waypoint is the part of the hipbone called the ischium.  As I work toward completion, I will constantly compare the clay model with the skeleton.

Notice where the scapula joins the humerus, where the humerus joins  the radius/ulna at the elbow, and where the radius/elbow joins the wrist.  Also, notice where the femur is attached to the hipbone, where the femur joins the
tibia/fibula at the knee, and where the tibia/fibula joins at the ankle.

Below, is a small clay sketch of a moose in progress, created recently in one sitting.

Below,  is a bronze casting of the small moose shown above in clay.

Below, are 2 photos taken recently in Yellowstone.

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

#554 In the field: Wilderness aesthetics, con't . . .

Please start this series of blogposts with #549, Wed. July 23

The Rocky Mountains stretch from the Brooks Range in Alaska to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico and during my life I have experienced  both the northern and the southern reaches of the dramatic mountain range.
Most of my Rocky Mountain travels have been close to home in the central portion in Colorado and Wyoming.  I have lived in the Rocky Mountain region for over 35 years and currently reside in the Wind River Range of the Rockies in Wyoming.  The Rockies contain ecologically diverse regions and vast expanses of wilderness for the artist and nature lover.

The lives of all birds of the Rockies are greatly influenced by the seasons and although most of the many species are migrants, some stay to nest and some are winter residents.  Waterfowl, eagles, and osprey leave the high elevations when water
freezes while owls and grouse will remain in the winter.

At right, Canada Geese glide past a feeding cow moose on a high mountain trout lake.  They hatched and raised their small brood here and will teach them to fly out before freeze-up.

The focus of this blogpost is five of the large birds we encountered and photographed last month as we celebrated my birthday week in the Colorado Rockies.  While fishing for trout in a high mountain lake, just below the timberline, we shared the beautiful setting with Bald Eagles, Osprey, Ravens, and Canada Geese . . . not until we left the high
country for lower elevations did we encounter the Great Blue Heron.  With each change in elevation,
habitat, and vegetation, there is a change in bird life.

Below, are photos of our experience and recent artwork of the five species depicted.

 Original etching entitled Bald Eagle

Sketch of an osprey

 Bronze sculpture entitled Ravenrock

 Bronze sculpture entitled Nesting Heron

Sketch of Canada Geese

To learn more about the subjects go to the links below.

For a complete list of the blog index go to the Index Page and

type the subject in the Search This Blog link on the upper right.

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

#552 In the field: Wilderness aesthetics, con't . . .

Please start this series of blogposts with # 549;  Wed.,  July 23

While in the Colorado high country last week, we encountered moose every day. The focus of this post is moose.

The moose is a member of the deer family and is the largest antlered mammal on earth.  Four subspecies of moose are native to North America:  The Eastern moose which ranges from Maine to eastern Canada;  the Canadian moose which ranges from Ontario through Saskatchewan;  the Shiras moose which ranges from the Colorado Rocky Mountains northward through Alberta;  and the largest of all . . . the Alaska-Yukon moose.

Shown at right, detail of the bronze, Red Willows  

Although moose were abundant in Colorado in the pre-1800's, they were hunted to extinction by 

Native Americans and early white settlers.  In 1978, four bull moose and eight cows, one with a calf, 

were released in northern Colorado and the reintroduction has been an overwhelming success. 

Below, are images of the Shiras moose taken last week in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

We saw the cow and calf shown below every day while we fished our favorite high-mountain trout lake.  

The water was shallow in most places and one day we saw the cow stroll out to feed on the lush vegetation with the calf following.  The calf ventured in but turned back when it's knees were just above the water and returned to the safety of the woods while the cow waded to deeper water and fed.   After a period of time, the cow grunted and the calf emerged from the woods as the cow waded to the edge of the water.  The calf nursed and then both sauntered back into the woods.  

I sketched and photographed moose everyday on the trip.

Below, an original etching entitled Mossback

To learn more about the subjects go to the links below.

For a complete list of the blog index go to the Index Page and

type the subject in the Search This Blog link on the right.

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

#551 In the field: Wilderness aesthetics

This morning, Trish and I returned to our cabin in northern Colorado after an
"in the field" adventure in Colorado's high country.  We spent the week of my birthday - see the preceding blogpost - in a remote rustic cabin,  fishing, hiking, exploring, photographing, and sketching wildlife in the Rocky Mountains.

Every wildlife artist needs to recharge the "creative batteries" and being in uninhabited areas where the wild things are is the place to do it.  While most
of the week was spent in the rugged mountains just below the timberline, we explored the beautiful rolling foothills as well and experienced different flora and fauna at each elevation.  Over the years, I had spent so much time in the area that the backcountry roads were familiar to me and I had learned where animals - not people - were likely to be.  This trip did not disappoint and produced a wealth of reference for future sculpture projects. 

Just being there was exhilarating!  The physical beauty is hard to imagine:

Fragrant pine forests; aspen-lined, flowery meadows; rushing trout streams; crisp, cold nights by a wood stove; sizzling trout and
boiled coffee for breakfast . . . the day's adventure ahead!                                                                     

Below, while Trish chooses a fly to catch a Rainbow Trout, in the distance, a cow moose exits the water to join her calf.
The trout in high-mountain lakes don't get very big and they are what we call, "breakfast trout" . . .
four of them fit perfectly in a skillet and are delicious!

In the photo below, note the dark shape of the cow feeding on the shallow lake bottom in the distance.

Below, this beat-up Renegade fly saw lots of action . . . we ate what we caught and had fish every meal.

Below. fishcakes, champagne, and the wilderness shared with my best friend . . .
great memories of my 71st!
 Wilderness Aesthetics . . . to be con't.

The ultimate trout fishcake recipe:

4 freshly caught gilled and gutted 8 - 10 inch trout
fry trout in oil approx. 3 - 4 minutes per side, then take off skin and debone
Mix flaked trout with mashed potatoes,  a little mayo, Dijon mustard, lemon pepper
Capers or horseradish if desired but not chopped onion . . . cakes break apart
Form into cakes, dip into egg, then crumbs.
 Sauté' in canola oil or butter 'til golden brown



Below, are images of trout species found in Colorado.  The watercolor-tinted etchings hang in the Colorado cabin.

To learn more about the subjects go to the links below.

For a complete list of the blog index go to the Index Page and

type the subject in the Search This Blog link on the right.

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