I have been waking up to something recently- the chirping of birds! Is this not the sound of Spring?! I am such an avid bird lover. How often as a kid did you think of being able to fly like the birds you saw. (I think of the Looney Tunes cartoon of the boy sitting in class staring out the window and daydreaming he is flying with the birds) A number of my bronze sculptures are of our feathered friends. Check out my Wildlife section on the website and see what I have created. And tell me what are your favorite birds?

Wow, what a difference an hour makes! It’s amazing that the clock says one thing but our body clocks say another. I find these last couple days its been brutal to drag myself out of bed and get moving on the new day. Trying to be positive, though, I am happy that it stays lighter longer, giving me an opportunity to sculpt with natural light, even after dinner. And as spring gets closer (please hurry!) I look forward with delight to barbecues in the evening and sitting around with family and friends.
Still, can’t we just pick a time and stick with it?

Here we are in the beginning of March and as of right now it’s about 65 degrees out side. The winds are high from the south meaning a storm is quickly coming. We seem to always have a spell of warmth in winter which gets everyone all jacked up for spring and nicer weather, only to have the rug pulled out from underneath our feet- with a snow storm! It is supposed to start raining, then snowing, then low temps for a few days. I guess we have to take it all in stride, but these warm temps sure are a teaser.

I am always so happy to see sculptures used outdoors. A majority of my pieces are life sized and are meant to be outside. I have been so excited to know that they have been used in front of churches, hospitals, libraries, schools, etc. Clayton, CA acquired my Circle of Peace sculpture a little while ago for their city park. Dave Napper, the City Manager, recently sent us an updated picture of the piece in the park. Wow! What a beautiful park and surrounding. The sculpture looks great there, too. I would be interested to hear from you where you’ve seen bronze sculptures and how they are being used.

One of my favorite sculptures I have ever created is the Puffed Up Prince. 2 years ago I decided to give him a companion and made the Puffed Up Princess. They are both plumbed so water can shoot out of their mouths. I think they are fun, whimsical pieces, but I may be a wee bit biased!
Gold leaf is used for the crowns and rings and Dan does such a great job with the gold leafing as well as painting the jewelry. I thought you would like to see Dan in action. I love Dan’s shirt, too.

Saturday night was a wonderful experience for me- I received an award for Visual Arts from the SCERA in Orem. It was such a wonderful event and I was so happy to have four of my sons, and my daughter-in-law, there to share in this extravaganza. We had a wonderful dinner that was catered by local restaurants. Following dinner we participated in an art auction where all kinds of art and sports memorabilia were auctioned off. I forgot how exciting an auction can be! An autographed lithograph of John Stockton was a hot item as was a NuSkin basket of products that also included 4 VIP passes and ticket to the Utah Jazz
From there we moved into the theater for the award ceremony. I was was pleased to be honored along side with Arnold Friberg, Kurt Bestor, and other well deserving award recipients. It was such a wonderful evening, and it was great to see my sons all dressed in their tuxedos!

I was contacted a few months ago regarding a new commission project to create a sculpture of Scott Niswonger. Scott is a very successful businessman who created Land Air Services and other businesses. As a young man Scott was fascinated with flight and airplanes, so I have sculpted him as a 15 year old, running with an airplane. I have been given the green light on the maquette, so we will begin pointing it up to life size.
I am so grateful to be able to sculpt Mr. Niswonder; his life is an example of hard work, ingenuity, and selfless giving. I will keep you updated on how it’s coming along.

As much as I love all the seasons, there comes a moment during winter (and Puxatawny Phil said 6 more weeks of winter) when I want Spring and the opportunity to get my hands back into the soil. I love planting flowers and shrubs, to plant seeds and see the magic of growth that occurs, and to plan a vegetable garden. I love the smell of the earth when I am on my hands and knees. Just a few musings and longings as I look out at the snow falling. What is your favorite season?

Mark Twain

We had to get Mark out to a gallery real fast and we weren’t able  to get pictures of him going through the patina process! Next one we cast we’ll show him  in the patina room.
Anyway, here he is, waiting now to be in your home or garden or even at a park or library! Again, it is so fascinating to see an idea progress from my thoughts, to taking pictures of poses, to making a maquette, then creating the armature, adding the foam, and then the clay. My work is done when I sign the clay but as you have witnessed, it has only just begun. Please scroll back through the blog and see all the steps that have taken place to bring Mark to completion. I hope you like the sculpture and am always excited to hear what you have to say.

Mark Twain

It is always such a great experience to finish a sculpture and see it’s completion in bronze. Commissions are a little different for me in that I am not just drawing on my own experiences and ideas but am collaborating with one or more individuals to share in a collective idea and vision. What a rewarding experience!
I started this sculpture for Cathy Hulce back in the late summer. She brought in a photograph of her grandfather from around 1895. I immediately was excited to sculpt him- look at those chaps!
From clay to bronze is a time consuming endeavor. Once the clay is finished and the mold is made, well, the anticipation begins. But how wonderful is the payoff! I am so happy with the way this sculpture turned out. There is a change that occurs when my pliable, soft clay creation is now a hard, bronze sculpture that will last for generations. It is humbling in a way to know that something I created will outlast me on this earth. Anyway, tell me how you like it and what you think.