Rosetta Sculpture - Portfolio - Non-Feline Subjects

NON-FELINE SUBJECTS

Spirit Brothers
River Antics
The Critic
Settled In
Friesian Fantasy
High Country Totem
Dromedary
Golden Dragon
At the Waterhole Maquette
Heron Rising
Ice Bears

Spirit Brothers

To most Native American tribes, the wolf is a powerful spirit and family member. Different tribes had somewhat different beliefs regarding their relationship with wolves, from ancestors to spiritual guides to providers of sustenance to siblings and best friends to participants in sacred ceremonies and magic. But all involved a reverence for and spiritual connection with their lupine brothers. Though they drew parallels between themselves and the members of the pack as strong, successful hunters, neither had interest in hunting each other. Wolves don’t see humans as prey and Native Americans believe that killing a wolf is like killing one of them.

River Antics

No one who has ever watched river otters at play would dare say that animals can’t frolic for the pure fun of it! These river otters are enjoying their watery playground, swimming around and over each other and churning the water into splashing pillows and fountains of foam. This is Nature’s manifestation of the pure joy of living.

The Critic
(or “Don’t Leave Your Paperback On The Veranda”)

An incident on safari in Kenya inspired this sculpture and gave me an excuse to sculpt a vervet monkey whose real life models provide many hours of entertainment around so many safari camps in Africa. One soon learns not to have or leave any food within sight of these little imps but it wasn’t until Suzanna showed up at sundowners, chuckling, with the remains of her shredded paperback in hand that we realized that anything left unattended was fair game for these mischievous simians.

Settled In

I created this special small sculpture for the annual W.O.L.F. Sanctuary fundraiser, based on a photo of one of their resident wolves, Thor. His peaceful and contented demeanor reflect the safe and caring environment surrounding the furry residents of W.O.L.F. I have donated casting #1 to their silent auction at the “Mardi Growl Masquerade” May 30, 2015 at the Fort Collins (CO) Hilton. The rest of the edition is available for orders after that.

"Settled In" won the Purchase Award at the American Women Artists Master and Signature Members exhibition in Scottsdale and was donated to the permanent collection of the Museum of the West there. It has also shown at “Animalia” at the Loveland Museum and “Collectors Reserve” at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa OK.

Friesian Fantasy

There was a totally mesmerizing video of Friesian horses circulating on the internet that inspired me to do this piece. My challenge was to capture both the power of this large warrior-bred horse and its incredibly graceful and elegant high-stepping trot. I am captivated by the flowing dance of the amazingly long mane and tail and the flounce of the feather hair around their hooves. Perhaps the combination of size and power with grace and elegance that attracts me to the big cats is what also appeals to me in this strikingly beautiful steed.

"Friesian Fantasy" was included in the prestigious American Academy of Equine Art open juried exhibition, won first place for sculpture at the Colorado Horse Council’s Equine Art in the Park show and was included in "Animalia" at the Loveland Museum and "Animals in Art" at Mills Pond Gallery, NY.

High Country Totem

I’ve taken the concept of a "Totem", which has been defined as "a natural object or an animate being, as an animal or bird, assumed as the emblem of a clan, family or group" and applied it, instead, to a whole habitat, depicting some of the iconic animals that inhabit that environment, in this case, the "High Country." And since it is an emblem or symbol rather than a snapshot, I have put the animals in a formal and symbolic relationship to each other rather than a natural one, but not as restricted as the well known concept of a "totem pole"S where the subjects are stacked one on top of the other.

"High Country Totem" received the Fine Arts Center award at Breckenridge Fine Arts Center’s Annual in TX and Second Place at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center’s "Representing the West" show in Pueblo CO. It has also exhibited in AFC’s "Art of Conservation" and "Momentum: Women Drive the Arts in Loveland".

Dromedary

This Camel was originally created for ArtWorks in Dubai. Multiples were produced in fiberglass, both this size and 6 feet high, painted upon by local artists, displayed around Dubai and then auctioned off to benefit charities. It was Dubai's first Public Art project! Enough time has passed since the 2003 project that I have been given permission to cast this edition of bronzes, which I was eager to do as I think "Lulu" (the sculpture's Dubai name) has so much personality. Camels are such interesting looking animals to me that I enjoyed this rare (for me) depiction of an ungulate.

Golden Dragon

When a client asked if I'd consider doing a dragon, I didn't have to think about it for very long before I realized that it would be a fun project because I could pretty much make it up as I went along, playing with shapes and design, without too many constraints of "proper anatomy". I made him fierce, but in a protective sort of way.

When my client asked me what kind of dragon it was, I said, "You tell me!" (since he was the dragon enthusiast.) He said it was a Gold Dragon.

The "Gold Dragon" characteristics, according to the "Dungeons & Dragons" monster manual:

"They are very rare! Wise, judicious and benevolent. They often embark on self-appointed quests, and are not easily distracted from them. They hate injustice and foul play. At birth, a gold dragon's scales are dark yellow with gold metallic flecks, the flecks get larger as the dragon matures until, at the adult stage, the scales grow completely golden."

"Golden Dragon" was exhibited in "Angels, Cupids and Winged Creatures of Fantasy" at the National Sculpture Society in NY.

At the Waterhole

Some may think of elephants as just big round shapes on cylindrical legs, but I find fascinating nuances of line and form in their huge and expressive bodies. This, and their great heads - the bony structure so evident under the wrinkles of skin, the undulating shapes of their colossal ears, and those eyes, so deep, so sad, so wise -inspired me to do this sculpture. Since Elephants live within such strong social bonds, the females staying in family groups all their lives, I put two together in this statement of closeness and interdependence, as one stands watch while the other drinks at the waterhole.

AWARDS:
John Stephen Jones purchase award, Bosque Conservatory Art Council, 2001
First Place for Sculpture, Bosque Conservatory Art Council, 2001
2018 Breckenridge (TX) Fine Arts Center's Annual Juried Art Show

Heron Rising

This was the maquette for my large "Heron Fountain" but I have always wanted to cast it this size. I’ve substituted a custom hand-blown glass bowl, made by Daggett Glass Studio in Loveland, for the fabricated bronze bowl designed for the fountain, but I also like the sculpture without the bowl and it is available either way.

Ice Bears

This was my first non-feline sculpture! I've always been fascinated by the Polar Bear's appearance: that fat, fluffy wedge-shaped stuffed-teddy-bear-like body contrasted with a detailed, angular, sculptural head and long, powerful neck.

But the more I learned about these wanderers of the North, the more I found they are like the Big Cats! Carnivores like the cats, they are mostly solitary, though the young stay with their mothers until nearly grown, learning the skills of life. They travel far and wide in search of prey, but, unlike the big cats, when they do come across others of thier kind they often stay and play together for awhile!

The terms we use in describing the Big Cats apply as aptly to these denizens of the Arctic ice: supple agility, strength and dexterity, curious, shrewd, smart, adaptable, and above all, patient.

Perhaps I should have called this sculpture "Ice Cats!"

The "Ice Bears" won the Artists' Choice award at the Bennington Center for the Arts "Art of the Animal Kingdom" in VT and was purchased for the Center's permanent collection. It was also given an Award of Merit at the Western Rendezvous of Art in Helena, MT.

They have been exhibited at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in WY, the "Great American Artists" exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum Center, "American Women Artists" at Trailside Gallery in AZ, the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in CA, the Colorado Governor's Invitational, Society of Animal Artists, the Nicolaysen Art Museum in WY, The Smithsonian's Conservation Research Center in VA, The National Sculpture Society and the Fleischer Museum in Scottsdale.