Soaring

Bronze sculpture of eagle

John Denver wrote: ‘You never need be a poor man if you ever saw an eagle fly’. I have to agree; their sheer size alone makes those gigantic wings appear effortless and in slow-motion as they slice their way through the sky. Eagles are so beautiful from just a design standpoint. I never fully appreciated them until I sculpted one. I love the head and beak shape and how the brow arch casts such prominent shadows over their piercing eyes. Their beak is like a hatchet blade, cutting the air as it speeds downward in a dive. Every time I land in a big jet I marvel at how man has mimicked the wing design of these majestic creatures in order to get the necessary lift to get our huge silver ‘birds’ off the ground. Even propellers and jet engine turbines copy the camber and pitch of a bird’s wings. Eagles hold a special place in my psyche for I have seen many an eagle fly.