Wiley Coyote

Coyote in the mountains hunting

One of my favorite animals to watch is the coyote. He is often a lone hunter but as good at finding small animals as the fox and often watches for quite some time before pouncing (and yes they do pounce just as a fox or even a cat).

This is a view of my work space showing the clay on the armature, always remember when doing a vertical work that you have to not only support the clay but you have to remember to build it strong enough to support the weight of the molding material also.

If you notice I have used a discard cabinet board from Home Depot and the bought armature which I have to admit is better than my pipe creations because of a simple little hinge area to add to the top of the post in order to change the slant of the top portion.  I have bought several of these and they really come in handy with animals because of the movement you want to show.

The cabinet portion is also great because of the finish on the surface allowing you to put the Vaseline or release of some sort onto it in order to be able to pull your mold off after it has hardened. Remember also that you have to add another product to keep the silicon from slipping off the vertical figure unlike your molds you make for something flat such as a relief.

Wiley Hunter

This particular figure is one of the few pieces I created not using Chavant and ended up not ever using it again for the very fact that it did not hold up as well and was way too soft.

This has been a popular piece not only because of it being a fun animal but also because coyote are found almost all over the U.S.

One of the few times I have seen coyote's traveling in groups was in the Rocky Mountain National Park and they were following a lone elk cow that did not look healthy.

Again often I can open my windows onto the Platte River at night and hear them running along the river in packs and crying out in answer or response to others or even neighbor dogs yelping. This is an animal that is a great example of one adapting to civilization and often seen even in alley's or backyards.

Domestic animal sculpture depicting an industry

I have been blessed with the pleasure of having several commissions for the beef industry which has put food on my table for years and I admire ranchers and farmers tremendously.

USDA Prime
This depicts a finished steer and the pride of an industry and the work put into a steer over a period of 120 days or more.

Sheep Industry

This is a desktop of an industry that I see a lot of in Colorado and was honored as well to do some work for these nice people.

Feeders

This piece was created for a feedlot and depicts two steers looking through the pipe fencing and is perfect for a desktop depicting your office decor and an opportunity to show a customer that you are committed to reflecting your lifestyle even in your office.

All of these pieces as well as others were done on location and viewing the animals up close.

I always challenge any industry to welcome an artist to do a piece either for entry or office to depict the very industry they represent.

Another great powerful read!

Just finished The Power of Who by Bob Beaudine and as always I relate it to the art field regardless of what I am reading. If you have been following me you have read how much my art friends mean to me and how they support me...they are a few of my Who. Ok now I admit I am beginning to sound like a Dr. Seuss book.

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." author unknown

Everyone has a group of people that they turn to for advice, encouragement and support in their lives and this book clearly gives them credit to the development of your creativity. Loved this book!

"A who friend will call a halt to fearful thinking. When you are in fear of losing yourself call a who, a who friend will redirect you to the light when on a dark path. A who friend knows your true identity and won't let you forget."

"When you move forward and find a closed door just remember that door was not meant for you so look for another one opening to lead you forward. Don't take life as it comes."

"A who will confidently listen, care and help strategies with you."

"Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get". George Bernard Shaw

"If you want to have something you've never had before  you've got to be willing to do something that you've never done before". author unknown

Quite often I begin an art day dragging and really not into my work (other things digging into my brain and ruining my focus) but I have also learned that if I stick with it and go at it from all different directions then I find in a few hours that I am working and pleased with my progress. Then it is hard pressed to get me to come up for air or food and water. Pure Joy!

When I am down, not because of burn out or boredom but just because the price of copper is rising and I can't quite get a handle on the kind of wire to use on tiny antlers without having to do a lot of wax re-work or the marketing end of art is driving me nuts....I turn to my "Who"....hopefully you do also. This post is dedicated to my very special "who" and I feel in the description above they will recognize themselves.

Lightening thought

I was working on a mule deer the other day and realized I have a definite method of working in clay that I had not realized after all these years.

I find that I work based on angles, and silhouettes. I began thinking as I worked what it is I look for in identifying an animal whether in the mountains during good light or at dusk only suggesting a form in the distance.  Bingo - exactly! Outline or silhouette is what you instantly search out for identification. You are looking for familiarity of form, length of ears, shape of body, curve of horn even stance.

That is where knowing your subject backwards and forwards comes into play and why if you walk into your working studio and something just does not look right it is because you are looking for that familiar outline or profile in your clay piece in progress. Always remember that the longer you work on a problem area the more your mind and eye get used to seeing it that way so in essence it looks normal to you when it really isn't. This is the point where you know something is not right so you either cover it up for a week or so then go back and by then it will be obvious to you or you place it in front of your corner mirrors (remember I mentioned that I have my pedestal in the corner with each wall having a mirror so that I see it from all angles) or another thing would be to slowly rotate it each day to the angle you see the minute you walk into the room and the minute you walk in and say "hey that is all wrong" you will know that the profile is not right in your minds eye from the vantage point you are looking at it so that will be where you need to make the corrections...(my English teacher would freak out looking at all my run on sentences).

One last thing I want to leave you with (you know my love of quotes!)

"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you". Henry Ward Beecher

If it does not look right to you, keep at it until you are happy because you know what you are trying to depict and what you want to convey to a patron. Don't get in a hurry, don't compromise because you are on a schedule and have deadlines or the kids need picking up from school or the phone is ringing (turn it off while sculpting), if you don't have time to do it the best you can be then DON'T. Don't ever let something leave your hands with regret on your mind...GET ER DONE!

As always I love feedback or comments................

Refuge in the Wetlands



Refuge In The Wetlands

 This piece was created after a volunteer job for the Division of Wildlife.  This was not a pleasant job but it gave me the closeup, hands on feel for a duck.

My son and I teamed up with a DOW office and two gentleman from Ducks Unlimited to pick up dead or dieing ducks of botulism.   This occurs with certain weather conditions and is not preventable but everyone on lakes all over hurry to remove the infected ducks before they are eaten by predators or spread to other birds. (We did find a few crane dead also). We carried them out by the hundreds as we walked in chest waders dragging a contractors trash bag behind in our wake.

This is exact measurements of a mallard (life size) drake and I depicted him banded to honor those dedicated to preserving and tracking waterfowl.  Our DOW volunteers work hard to assist the Division of Wildlife in anyway possible and when it comes to ducks, work right alongside state biologist and groups such as DU. I have been busy lately and need to get back into volunteering with DOW in order to give something back.

The cattails were difficult in this piece considering the weight they had to support of the incoming mallard.  Hopefully it gives the illusion of flying into the cattails. As in a lot of my pieces these two forms were never married in clay but welded together only after casting in bronze.

I used tiny balsa wood pieces and wood dowels to cover with clay before molding and by surrounding an upside down paper cup it maintained its shape and formed great support in the circle of cattails depicted. This was constructed so that it could be placed in a pond outside on a metal plate or on the base shown in an entryway. The stray reed arching over in front broke up the upward motion nicely. It sits on dark green stone to portray water.

Wildlife, wildlife, wildlife!

I so enjoyed this trip into the mountains of Colorado this Fall. We saw all kinds of wildlife and in all types of situations. This was a sculptors dream, to be able to capture these animals in their true surroundings and watch them interact normally.

Was excited to see this big guy but I stayed my distance as he was moving quite fast.

Just goes to show you that you have to have your camera ready at all times.

This beautiful guy was bugling to his challenger.

There is a rule of thumb I always try to remember and that is never go around with no film in camera or down to the last shot...this was actually taken on my walk to the bathroom. You just never know!

If you are an artist trips like this add to your inner pool...if you are a patron, you often wish you could duplicate what you saw in a piece of art. Either way enjoy outdoors and all it has to offer and try to keep it the same or better for the generations who come behind you.

Pack it in, Pack it out. So many leave more than just footprints to clutter our outdoors, choke a chipmunk or turn a bear into a looter.

Otters the clowns of wildlife

This was a fun piece to put together.  It involved two of my favorite things, animals and wood.

Underwater Playground

At the time I was helping the Division of Wildlife here in Colorado research river otters along the Platte.  My partner on that first particular trip ended up not showing so I covered the area alone.  I became aware of the danger in that when I fell through the top of a cave along the bank created by a beaver.   It thankfully did not break anything but I realized I was miles from a vehicle if I had needed it. To an observer I probably looked pretty comical because my main fear was a rattler down there so I came out as fast as I fell in the hole.

From then on we partnered that responsibility and my son often joined me to scare off snakes and collect all the ticks first.

Otters are playful, fun animals and I tried to catch that attitude plus the grace and movement of these wonderful creatures in this work. (Ocean otters are totally different)

Old wood, what can I say, I have wandered shorelines for years picking up drift wood and love what time and weather do to give it character.  I tried to capture that look in the tree that the otters chase the trout around. Often trees damaged when young have distorted root systems and create a playground for fish and otters alike.

This work went fast as does anything you are passionate about. The patina lends itself to a look of underwater reflections on the tree and the otters. This is an older piece with only one edition remaining. It has also always been a difficult piece to photograph but then photography of sculpture is another long post in itself. A good piece that can be viewed in the round also showing the movement and flow easily.