#148, Special Ops Soldier (work in progress)

 

My team and I have been working hard on this special ops soldier sculpture for the past couple of months. This year, the 74-inch clay sculpture will be cast in bronze and installed in a beautiful Veterans Memorial Park near the Eau Claire River in Wisconsin. The life-size sculpture is one of several that will be placed in the large park, which will honor thirteen American wars, ranging from the American Revolution to the Global War on Terror.

#147, Teddy Roosevelt in the Badlands of the Dakotas

This sculpture of a young Teddy Roosevelt was created in honor of the future President's time in the Dakota Territory. During his journey in what is now southwestern North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota, Roosevelt purchased a ranch near Medora, North Dakota and experienced life as a cowboy, rancher, and hunter. On his various expeditions into the Badlands, he wrote about his adventures. Additionally, Roosevelt visited Bismarck to negotiate with cattle barons and Native Americans, becoming a great advocate for conservation in the process. Even after his departure from the area in 1886, Roosevelt never forgot the beauty of the Dakota Territory's Badlands.

Completing this one-third scale sculpture in 2022, I sculpted Teddy standing next to his horse with his left hand on his pistol. Drawing inspiration from a photo of the future President posing for a picture with his horse, I made subtle changes in order to convey him gazing off into the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, prepared for any challenge that might lie ahead. This landscape, with its call for self-reliance and appreciation of hard work, shaped his Presidency.

#146, Love at First Site-life size clay for bronze sculpture

For the past couple of weeks, I have been creating a life-size sculpture, entitled "Love at First Sight," which is the first of many garden sculptures featuring children and animals. 

In my sculpture, a dog is depicted in an act of unconditional love as it licks its human companion, who turns her head with a beaming grin, cherishing the moment that she will remember fondly throughout her life. The dog's joy is further expressed through its wagging tail and half-closed eyes while licking the girl's face, conveying a sense of love and joy. 

This sculpture is intended to be placed in a garden or outdoor area, so that it may bring a feeling of joy and love to all who pass by. I hope that this piece can remind us of the special moments we can share with our animals, and that it can bring comfort and happiness to anyone who views it.

#145, Neal and Jack maquette

The Beat generation inspired an era that I wish I could have lived through. The 1960s. Not necessarily for their rebellious nature nor for the protests and the anti-government movements. And definitely not for the pop art scene with artist Andy Warhol and the abstract expressionists walking the streets. But to experience the incredible music fresh out of the gate would have been amazing.

When I was approached to design and create a monument to two 1950’s and 60’s beat writers Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, who were instrumental in shaping the 60’s I couldn’t have been more excited. I indulged in the music of the 60’s (more then ever) and picked up Kerouac’s On The Road. And just like that I was living in the greatest decade.

The clay maquette, which is defined as a scaled down monument, was sculpted at about 1/3 scale. The pose was interpreted from a photograph by Carolyn Cassady, Neals second wife. I was very conscious of creating the close bond between Neal (on the left) and Jack. They were close friends and the photograph depicts their friendship well and so I had to pick up on these cues and re-interpret them in the clay. The comfort that these two straight men felt when hugging so close; the slight head tilt to one side, the embrace, their stance. It was all there in Carolyn's photograph and I had to pull as much as I could observe in order to create a living and breathing clay model.

Although the project is slow at getting off the ground, partially due to covid, there is still the same passion and drive to have this life size monument in bronze erected for the city of Denver, Colorado- Neal’s childhood home. The city is ready for it, the family of Neal are ready for it and a generation still moved by the beats are ready for it.

For more info about the project: https://denver.cbslocal.com/2020/01/26/neal-cassady-monument-denver/

https://303magazine.com/2019/03/cassady-kerouac-sculpture-denver/