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?

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.

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.

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! What a wonderful time of year this is; people generally have a better disposition and seem more willing to help their neighbors and even those they don’t know. I hope we all take the opportunity to do a kind act for someone.

I am reminded of the story during World War I when on Christmas Eve how German soldiers started singing carols, then the British soldiers sang carols, then came a truce where the opposing sides met in “no man’s land”, where they exchanged gifts of cake, cigarettes, tobacco, and other items that they had received from home. There are even reports of soccer games breaking out. All this happening to the chagrin of their respective leaders. What I find fascinating is that these men had the desire to come together, even in a time of war, and share in humanity, to not see each other as enemies but as human beings. This truce lasted for several days, and was brought to an end by the commanders of both sides.

I hope we can look at that example and to have a personal desire to make a “truce” with anyone we may have differences with, and to take the opportunity to celebrate in commonalities and humainty. Be a blessing in someone’s life this Christmas season.

So many people use their sculptures for different reasons; some use it strictly for a decoration, some for a focal point in their home or garden, while others may acquire a sculpture because it captures a memory of a person or an event in their lives. I am always so intrigued (along with being so grateful)  why people are drawn to and acuqire my sculptures.

My desire is to lift and inspire with my works and hope that that is one reason why you are interested in my sculptures. But I would ask of you, gentle blogger, to write and tell me the reason why you are interested in my work, what you would do with and where you would place your sculptures. I am also very interested to hear where you first saw or heard about my sculpture. Please take a moment and let me know your thoughts; I am anxious to hear from you!

I had a wonderful visit to Newark and Granville, Ohio, last week. Gib and Lou Reese, who have donated many of my sculptures to the community and to the Ohio State University at Newark, were being recognized for their generousity. There was also a huge Art Gala event at the Reese Center located on the campus to celebrate Art in Public Places in Licking County. So many wonderful people were involved to have me and Paul fly out there to  participate in this event. I was honored to be able to speak to an audience regarding my art; how I create and develop my sculptures and where my inspiration comes from. I was also priviledged to speak at the Gala that evening for just a few minutes.

We met so many nice and phenomenal people and I must say thanks to Marcia and Johnathan Downes, Jill and Paul Griesse, Carol Salome, who has discovered a new state she calls “Udaho”, Jane Simmons, and Gib and Lou Reese. I apologize if I left anyone out.

We also were able to participate in a dedication of the courtyard at The Works, a discovery center for children. The Reese’s helped turn a gravel pit into a functional courtyard, complete with mature trees, a fountain, which Lou designed herself, and they have placed my Journeys of the Imagination sculpture. It is one cool place and the kids are so lucky to have it there in Newark! 

I was blown away with the community and the feeling of giving that resides there. I wish I could capture what we felt and bring it to every city and town across the country. I believe if we all had the giving and caring spirit that resides in Licking County, our country would heal any wound and we would draw closer together as the human race.