Goodbye to an old friend

This particular piece of sculpture was created a while back and was always a favorite of anyone that ever saw him.  The piece was named "Keeper of the Sacred Spirit" and it was done using a model off the Spoomer Ranch outside of Greeley, Colorado. 

The model's name was Aspen and was a pet kept at the buffalo farm that the manager even rode because he was so gentle. As all fairy tales go things changed and he passed away.

The last of the edition Ed. #15/15 is currently being completed so that someone may have this beautiful piece and then I will only have my AP copy to give my children but I will always have my memories of this fantastic animal and the way he carried himself and also the way he enjoyed my scratching his nose while studying his beautiful eyes.

Sculptors often fall in love with their subjects (as I feel all artist must to catch their true spirit) but as I celebrate the end of a wonderful adventure by destroying the mold when this edition sells out I will also feel sad that this great beasts which had such a rich history in the making of the old west and the survival or defeat of the American Indian was for a brief time something tangible in my life.