Portfolio: Beyond the Plane

Meet 8 artists who depict life in three dimensions

This story was featured in the July 2012 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Order the Southwest Art magazine July 2012 print edition here, or purchase the Southwest Art magazine July 2012 digital download here. Or simply click here to subscribe to Southwest Art magazine and never miss a story!

William Carrington

William Carrington, ¡No Mire Atras!, bronze, 15 x 11 x 6.  Photo credit: Michael Jay Smith

William Carrington, ¡No Mire Atras!, bronze, 15 x 11 x 6. Photo credit: Michael Jay Smith

“Over the years and after much observation, I have concluded that jackrabbits are pretty much the bottom of the food chain. I can’t help but compare their bid for survival to that of the roadrunner in the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons—a bit comical. I created this piece in homage to the hare of the dry lands. Almost without realizing it, I exaggerated its features. While creating it, I found myself laughing aloud! The title was inspired from childhood memories of running from the neighborhood dog while my friends, far out front, yelled, ‘Don’t look back!’ I so enjoyed creating this piece that it inspired a series, which is currently in progress.”

representation
Parchman Stremmel Gallery, San Antonio, TX.

Alan LeQuire

Alan LeQuire, Musica, bronze, 40 x 30 x 30 feet.   Photo Credit: Dean Dixon

Alan LeQuire, Musica, bronze, 40 x 30 x 30 feet. Photo Credit: Dean Dixon

“MUSICA is located at the gateway to Nashville’s renowned Music Row. At 40 feet tall and with nine dancing figures, it is one of the largest bronze figure groups in the United States. The models for MUSICA are all contemporary people, diverse in their ethnicity and beautiful in their variety. They give the piece relevance for our society here and now. Dance is the physical expression of music, and the piece is intended to convey that feeling to the viewer in a composition that is simple, exuberant, and celebratory. The theme of the sculpture is music because of the historical and economic significance of the site. This is the heart of Music Row, the area and the artistic activity for which Nashville is best known. The sculpture conveys the importance of music to Nashville—past, present, and future—and it represents all forms of music without reference to any one form or style. It is meant to provide a visual icon for the area and for the city as a whole.”

representation
LeQuire Gallery, Nashville, TN; www.alanlequire.com.

Jim Eppler

Jim Eppler, Coyote Life Size, bronze, 25 x 46 x 10.

Jim Eppler, Coyote Life Size, bronze, 25 x 46 x 10.

“I was commissioned to create this life-size coyote for the National Ranching Heritage Museum. It was a great privilege and an exhilarating creative experience to sculpt this animal in a life-size scale. This creative process in turn inspired my new wolf series. Creating this canine series has been one of the most enjoyable creative experiences of my artistic career. Because I am known for my Raven series, people have shared [with me] wonderful stories and lore about this highly intelligent and remarkable bird. I am looking forward to hearing similar stories of coyotes and wolves—the forerunners of the beloved domestic dogs in every culture.”

representation
Bronze Coast Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR; Coda Gallery, Palm Desert, CA, and Park City, UT; Collectors Covey, Dallas, TX; Exposures International, Sedona, AZ; InSight Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX; K. Newby Gallery, Tubac, AZ; Lustre, Telluride, CO; Manitou Galleries, Santa Fe, NM; Paderewski Fine Art, Beaver Creek, CO; Sorrel Sky Gallery, Durango, CO; The Sportsman’s Gallery, Atlanta, GA; www.epplerart.com.

Chris Navarro

Chris Navarro, 20% Chance of Flurries, bronze, 15 x 13 x 6 feet.

Chris Navarro, 20% Chance of Flurries, bronze, 15 x 13 x 6 feet.

“The sculpture 20% CHANCE OF FLURRIES was commissioned by the Colorado Department of Agriculture to be placed at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. The sculpture honors the dedication and hardship that farmers and ranchers have endured for well over a century. The rancher I used as a model recalled a spring blizzard that came through his ranch during calving time. The weather forecast for the day had been ‘20% chance of flurries,’ but the storm turned out to be severe and killed nearly half of his herd of livestock. As I depict him here, the rancher has his head down against the wind, a calf across his saddle, and his horse is pulling through deep snow. This image embodies for me the test of endurance that brings out the best quality in the men who live in the West. They face harsh conditions, but they take life as it comes.”

representation
Navarro Galley, Sedona, AZ; Big Horn Galleries, Cody, WY, and Tubac, AZ; Breckenridge Gallery, Breckenridge, CO; Deselms Fine Art, Cheyenne, WY; Open Range Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ; Mountain Trails Gallery, Jackson, WY, and Park City, UT; www.chrisnavarro.com.

Susie Chisholm

Susie Chisholm, Charles Fraser, bronze, 6 feet high.

Susie Chisholm, Charles Fraser, bronze, 6 feet high.

“Hilton Head Island, SC, commissioned this sculpture of Charles Fraser. This image was from a photograph of Fraser, the first developer on the island, in the March 3, 1962, edition of the Saturday Evening Post. Fraser’s vision of bringing nature and development together led to the first gated resort community in the country, winning him numerous awards for his use of green space.
“My goals as a portrait sculptor are to capture an individual’s spirit and for the sculpture to have a life of its own. My commissions have included personalities ranging from Johnny Mercer, our most famous songwriter, to Major General Anderson, who orchestrated the European air operations during World War II. I am presently working on two Revolutionary War figures that are going to the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum in Boston.”

representation
Reynolds Square Fine Art Gallery, Savannah, GA; www.susiechisholm.com.

Rip Caswell

Rip Caswell, Newly Wed, bronze, 12 x 16 x 10.

Rip Caswell, Newly Wed, bronze, 12 x 16 x 10.

“The sculpture is of two wood ducks, which are one of the most beautiful North American birds we have. They are private little birds, found only in wooded marshes and backwater ponds. Rarely do you get a chance to view them up close, but I have had the pleasure of watching and studying them during nesting and mating time. My wish is to take people on a journey of discovery with my sculpture—a journey to both the intimacy of nature and the experience of human emotion. I want to open a doorway, allowing viewers to experience the intimate side of my sculpture, just as I want the eyes of my subjects to reflect their spirit. I hope that personalities with hearts and souls and breath of their own will take form in the subjects I cast.”

representation
Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA; Primary Elements Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR; Gilbert District Gallery, Seaside, OR; Grand Teton Gallery, Jackson Hole, WY; Gallery 903, Portland, OR; Clearwater Gallery, Sisters, OR; www.caswellsculptures.com.

Rosetta

Rosetta, Stream of Life, bronze, 5 x 14 x 5 feet.

Rosetta, Stream of Life, bronze, 5 x 14 x 5 feet.

“When City Creek Reserve in downtown Salt Lake City 
commissioned this sculpture for their mixed-use development, they wanted the theme to be animals, nature, and creeks, so I researched native animals of riparian habitats. I also researched the state animal, bird, and fish. The animals are all related because of where they live. I was excited about doing this sculpture because I wanted to put a lot of animals together in a montage instead of a realistic scene. The composition needed to tie the animals together in a way that resulted in a unified and flowing sculpture. This commission was especially fun because I was able to explore something new that I’d wanted to try.”

representation
Evergreen Fine Art, Evergreen, CO; Bronze Coast Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR; Blue Heron Gallery, Wellfleet, MA; Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA; Russell Fink Gallery, Lorton, VA; Wilcox Gallery, Jackson, WY; www.rosettasculpture.com.

Joe Cajero

Joe Cajero, Oneness, bronze, 26 x 9 x 9.

Joe Cajero, Oneness, bronze, 26 x 9 x 9.

“I am from the Pueblo of Jemez in New Mexico, where I was raised in the traditional setting of my village. I speak our Towa language. My creative energy is often spiritual in nature. Each of my sculptures invariably represents some aspect of praise and appreciation for life’s beauty, ebb, and flow. ONENESS represents this ebb and flow, as well as life’s energy experiencing itself as feminine and masculine, all through choice. It speaks of positive and negative space. It presents all the loving colors I observe in the heavens and in nature. As I was creating this piece, I imagined the very genesis of my spirit, of my being, an individuation from the source. It is quiet communion with the life force, which I observe in all of nature, that gives me glimpses of this oneness.”

representation
Manitou Galleries, Santa Fe, NM; Toh-Atin Gallery, Durango, CO; Wright’s Indian Art, Albuquerque, NM; www.cajerosculpture.com.

 

Featured in the July 2012 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art magazine July 2012 digital download
Southwest Art magazine July 2012 print edition
Or click here to subscribe to Southwest Art magazine and never miss a story!


 

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