Portfolio | Bronze & Beyond

MEET 10 SCULPTORS WORKING IN A VARIETY OF GENRES AND STYLES

This story was featured in the July 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

JANENE DIRICO-CABLE

What inspires you to create art? Nature inspires me. Animals, rocks, clouds, every texture and color of a downed tree is all inspiration to me.
How would you describe your style? My style is diverse. I like to incorporate new techniques with old and come up with something different and fresh. I make sure every piece I create has my fingerprints in it.
How did you first get interested in art? Art is in my blood. As a young student, I was told I was not good enough to be a professional artist, and I am fully enjoying proving that statement to be false!
Where did you study art? Sara Sheldon and Ed Trumble of the Leanin’ Tree Museum in Boulder, CO, were staunch supporters and key to introducing me to bronzes through the Scottsdale Artists’ School. John Coleman, Paul Lucchesi, and Veryl Goodnight were inspirational instructors.
What is your creative process like? The creative process for me changes constantly. I cannot, however, go through a single day without creating something with my hands.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? I have several highlights to date in my art career, but being selected as the United States Equestrian Federation’s trophy artist, with my piece TRIPLE THREAT, is an immense honor.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? When I am not creating art, I am hiking the glorious mountains of Colorado, doing archaeological digs with Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, CO, or hanging out with horses and dogs. I spend as much time as I can at Rainbow Trout Ranch in Antonito, CO, for ranch-life inspiration.
Where can collectors find your work? Rainbow Trout Ranch, Antonito, CO; Sundance & Friends, Buena Vista, CO; www.diricofineart.com.

MARK HOPKINS

What inspires you to create art? I love the challenge of creating something that doesn’t exist except in my mind—forming shapeless matter into something new and beautiful that can inspire others.
How would you describe your style? My style is basically representational, but I like a minimalist design approach. I try to give just enough visual information to allow the viewer’s imagination to be involved in finishing the story I’m telling. I love to experiment with balance and negative space, so much of my work appears to almost float in mid-air.
How did you first get interested in art? I think I was born with a drive to create. My third-grade teacher recognized my ability and assigned me a large art project for parent-teacher night. A teacher in high school introduced me to sculpting wax, and I discovered my true passion.
Where did you study art? I won a scholarship to the Atlanta College of Art and attended some college, but I am primarily self-taught.
What is your creative process like? I do a lot of research before I start a new project to be sure I understand not only the structure but the character of whatever I am sculpting. Then I turn on some really loud music (classical, bluegrass, movie themes—whatever fits the mood) and warm up my wax or clay.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? I really love doing monuments of real people and attending the dedication ceremonies. It is very gratifying to see others connect emotionally and experience what I was trying to convey.
Where can collectors find your work? Park City Fine Art, Park City, UT; Wildlife Wonders, Seminole, FL; Artifacts Gallery, Cambria, CA; www.markhopkinssculpture.com.

KINDRIE GROVE

What inspires you to create art? Ultimately it is how light and shadow play across the form and shape of a subject that I find most inspiring.
How would you describe your style? My style is realism with impressionistic texture. I want my subjects to seem as though they will move if you blink, and to have personality and character of their own.
How did you first get interested in art? I grew up in the country on a Morgan horse farm. My earliest memories of art were of wanting to draw horses.
Where did you study art? I studied at the Alberta University of the Arts in Calgary.
What is your creative process like? It has taken many years to master the process of removing myself from the equation as I create—getting out of the way so the spirit of what I paint or sculpt can come through with clarity and life. The less control I assert over the process, the better the outcome of the work.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Traveling to see wildlife in Africa, and traveling to Paris to see the art of the Impressionists. The purchase and installation of several of my life-size African wildlife paintings for the Toronto Congress Centre and the naming of the Kindrie Grove Lobby. The first time I sold a large-scale bronze sculpture.
Where can collectors find your work? Adele Campbell Gallery, Whistler, BC, Canada; Bluerock Gallery, Black Diamond, AB, Canada; Evo Art Maui, Lahaina, HI; Matheson & Grove Fine Art, Penticton, BC, Canada; Singulart; www.kindriegrove.com.

BRIAN SCHADER

What inspires you to create art? My inspiration comes from my desire to enlighten and inspire. Constantly bombarded with negative news, I personally find solace in nature, the creation of art, and the challenge of stimulating social progress.
How would you describe your style? I’d say contemporary, abstract, maybe a little minimalist.
How did you first get interested in art? My mother was my first creative influence. I have fond memories of hanging out in the sunroom of our Tucson home, watching her at her drawing board.
Where did you study art? I have no formal education to speak of, though I had talented high-school instructors. After high school, I hit the road selling my art and absorbing everything I could from my travels and fellow artists.
What is your creative process like? Visualization serves me well. I start with an interesting shape or message in mind, then I sit with my eyes closed and work through how to proceed.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? I’m very proud of an initiative I launched a few years ago called the Trees in Honor Project. The concept is to honor veterans through a life-size sculptural tree with military dog tags as leaves. Another highlight was when I was accepted into the largest sculpture show in the nation, only two years into my sculpting career; I decided to make an impression by bringing 19 monumental works. I ended up being number two among the best-selling artists that year.
Where can collectors find your work? Coda Gallery, Palm Desert, CA; Renee Taylor Gallery, Sedona, AZ; K. Newby Gallery, Tubac, AZ; Wind River Gallery, Aspen, CO; Pitzer’s Fine Arts, Wimberley, TX; Thunderbird Artists Gallery, Carefree, AZ; www.brianschader.com; www.treesinhonor.org.

BURNETA VENOSDEL

What inspires you to create art? I am inspired by my deep roots as a fourth-generation descendant of the Land Run of 1893 settlers. My childhood was spent on a farm in western Oklahoma. I grew up among horses, cattle, and dogs with a dad who had the most important job in the world—feeding people.
How would you describe your style? My style is realistic, rich in detail, and influenced by the modern West.
How did you first get interested in art? I think I was always interested in the creative process. When I was 8 years old, my parents paid for me to take summer art lessons with local artist Jack Hayward.
Where did you study art? Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, OK, at age 30, was my first opportunity to explore my love for the fine arts. In my 60s, I studied with the best western artists at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum: John Coleman, Garland Weeks, Richard Loffler, Cynthia Rigden, and Sandy Scott.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? A major highlight was working on a bust of Kiowa Chief Set-T’ainte, to be placed next to his war shield in the Warrior’s Journey Gallery at the Fort Sill National Historic Landmark. Another high point was teaching sculpting to high-school students in connection with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s scholarship program.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I love photography, bird-watching, gardening, and teaching classes.
Where can collectors find your work? RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX; Echota Arts, Tahlequah, OK; www.eaglechiefstudios.com.

DEANNE MCKEOWN

What inspires you to create art? Much of the inspiration for my work comes from my surroundings—the high desert and the wild creatures who share this amazing space with me.
How would you describe your style? I am always seeking to place my subjects in situations that suggest some human connection with wildlife through humor or social comment.
How did you first get interested in art? I have been making art since I was child. Back then it was the excitement and mystery of how one could make a drawing or painting that I loved.
Where did you study art? I have a degree in fine art from the Kansas City Art Institute, and I’ve taken workshops and classes with various sculptors.
What is your creative process like? I often incorporate found objects in my work. Sometimes they are the beginning of an idea, and sometimes they find their way into a piece during the process.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? It’s always exciting to be included in, and receive awards from, exhibitions such as Birds in Art, Cowgirl Up!, Women Artists of the West, and American Women Artists.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I love to travel, to soak up the culture and art of other countries. I live in a beautiful area, so it’s a constant pleasure to explore the wilderness that surrounds my home. I read voraciously, enjoying historical fiction, biography, and poetry in particular.
Where can collectors find your work? Van Gogh’s Ear, Prescott, AZ; 60 West Gallery, Wickenburg, AZ; K. Newby Gallery, Tubac, AZ; Sedona Arts Center, Sedona, AZ; Inner Eye Gallery, Sedona, AZ; McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD.

JESS DAVILA

What inspires you to create art? I’m constantly inspired by my surroundings and the beauty that exists in nature. Working with a medium like stone, I’m guided by naturally occurring patterns to bring out what the stone wants to be.
How would you describe your style? I have a contemporary style where less is more. I sculpt the essence of my subject, allowing your mind’s eye to fill in the details I’ve chosen to leave out.
How did you first get interested in art? As with most children, I loved art from an early age.
Where did you study art? I’m completely self-taught. At a young age, I started experimenting and searching for information, studying artists I admired and looking for new ideas.
What is your creative process like? The stone guides me toward what I’m going to create. I first study its shape, design, and color. I then start removing stone—removing what is not the essence of a buffalo, a bear, an eagle, a human figure. There is always something beautiful inside.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? My friend and fellow artist Guadalupe Apodaca and I built an art center in my hometown of Huachinera, Sonora, Mexico. I’m grateful to my collectors and my galleries for allowing me to do what I love.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? Being with my family, teaching classes at the art center in Huachinera, and working in my garden.
Where can collectors find your work? Wilde Meyer Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, and Tucson, AZ; Arizona Fine Art Expo, Scottsdale, AZ, January through March 2021; www.jessdavila.com.

POKEY PARK

What inspires you to create art? Observing the antics of animals in their natural environments, at play, at rest. I’ve always been drawn to the wild places of the world. Wilderness is a state of mind, a place where souls can soar and minds float free.
How would you describe your style? I try to display the personalities of the animals while keeping in mind major anatomical truth. My style reflects my belief that life needs to be celebrated with whimsy and attitude.
How did you first get interested in art? As a young child I spent hours exploring beaches, marshes, and forests, observing nature and its creatures. I was enraptured by the light, shadows, and textures.
Where did you study art? My formal education was a bachelor’s degree in fine art from the University of Georgia.
What is your creative process like? I use the flow of lines and surface patterns to create positive and negative spaces in my sculpture.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? In 2013 I was commissioned to create 36 sculptures for the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University’s Medical Center in Palo Alto, CA. I finished the final installation in 2019. I had the opportunity to witness the happiness my sculptures brought to children and their families during challenging times in their lives.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I love to write poetry, spend time with my family, learn new things, hike, and read.
Where can collectors find your work? K. Newby Gallery, Tubac, AZ; Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa, OK; Slate Gray Gallery, Telluride, CO; Smith Klein Gallery, Boulder, CO; The Fredericksburg Good Art Company, Fredericksburg, TX; www.pokeypark.com.

PHYLLIS MANTIK DEQUEVEDO

What inspires you to create art? Our presence on earth is fleeting in the scope of time, but we all leave an imprint. My aim is to capture some of those transient moments in time, both human and botanical.
How would you describe your style? I’m a figurative artist working in a traditional style. Through metaphor, I explore the connections between botanical and figurative subject matter.
How did you first get interested in art? I don’t remember a time when I didn’t make art. However, I will always be grateful to Mr. Kendal, my ninth-grade art teacher. He inspired me with his love for art and shared an abundance of art tools to experiment with.
Where did you study art? I attended the Alberta University of the Arts in Calgary, graduating with a major in visual communications. Additionally, I’ve taken workshops with Rosalind Cook, Lincoln Fox, Eugene Daub, Ben Hammond, and Vala Ola, to name a few.
What is your creative process like? Every sculpture begins with energy and excitement and ends with restlessness as I near completion. But somewhere in the middle, I wrestle with an armature that isn’t working, anatomy that doesn’t feel natural, or a composition that doesn’t flow. Most rewarding is the breakthrough moment in which a sculpture becomes more than I anticipated.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Two monumental commissions, an art mentorship with gallery owner Jason Horejs, and becoming a Master Signature member in Women Artists of the West.
Where can collectors find your work? Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, and Pinetop, AZ; North Gallery & Studio, Oklahoma City, OK; www.mantikstudio.com.

RENO CAROLLO

What inspires you to create art? The process of making inspires me. I find that I just like to make things—objects and figures. The figure inspires me the most.
How would you describe your style? My style has its basis in art history from 1908. Artists like Alexander Archipenko, Ossip Zadkine, and Jacques Lipchitz are great influences on my work, as are cubism, African art, and classical humanist sculpture.
How did you first get interested in art? Since I was a young person, I have always had art in my life. My father was an art teacher, and my mother was a history teacher.
Where did you study art? At the University of Northern Colorado and, through an exchange program, at the Acadamy of Fine Arts in Florence. Since graduating, I have attended many workshops, symposia, and lectures.
What is your creative process like? Exploration is my process. For my figures, I love to push and pull the space the figure occupies, reimagining it with convex and concave shapes yet leaving the essence of what a human figure is.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? The workshops I have taken, the learning that has occurred, the friendships I have made with clients who have commissioned my artwork, and the life-size sculptures I have sold.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I enjoy watching sports, playing sports, tennis, gardening, architecture, and travel.
Where can collectors find your work? Art Design Consultants, Cincinnati, OH; Gallery V, Overland Park, KS; www.renocarollo.com.

This story was featured in the July 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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