Sculpture Portfolio
Tuquski’ wa Suwa
(Grizzly Bear and Chumash Child)
W-31”x H-45” x L-5’8″ -Bronze
The title is Northern Chumash for Bear and Child. Life-sized, Bronze, commissioned by the past Mayor Ken Schwartz, Bea Von Stein and Myron Graham as gift to the city of San Luis Obispo, California. Installed in the plaza of the Mission de San Luis Obispo de Telosa. -1988
My vision for this piece was to honor the two major life forms of this particular area on the central coast of California, as they were before the influx of the Spanish and others from the European continent. The model for the child was a young Chumash girl from the Santa Ynez tribe.
Later two bear cubs and a steelhead fish were added to the group at the request of the donor’s family. I had always thought of the bear as a female Grizzly, so I felt it was an appropriate addition, giving a feeling of hope and future. The image above remains my favorite image of the sculpture.
Honoring Our Ancestors. - Elder Woman and Grizzly Bear
W-40”x H-55” x L-96 – bear.
The sculpture was commissioned by the Old Mission in Santa Barbara, California to honor the Indigenous Chumash people who lived and died in service to the church from 1786 until recent times. It was installed in the Old Mission Cemetery, on June 16, 2023.
Stoic White Ram in Meditation
w25”x h20” x L 40” – cellulose sculpting compound
The first version of this ram was in Ferro-Cement, one of my first attempts at working that medium, which must be worked relatively quickly. I wanted to see it in a more refined version, so created this one in a cellulose sculpting compound, lovely to work with, but not good for outdoor applications. I’m planning one more version, to be cast in bronze or aluminum.
Otter Touching It's Tail
w30”x h36” x L 36” approx. – cast concrete
This hefty otter was created for a public art commission for the Santa Cruz, CA Public Art Program. The best part was the moment after the crane lowered the sculpture down onto its permanent base. Everyone involved stood back to see how it looked, and like an incoming wave, a group of children, watching from behind the surrounding shrubbery, came to hug it, climb on it, over it, through the center space, and around it. -Twin Lakes Park, 7th Avenue, Santa Cruz, California.
Basking Bear, in honor of "Bene" Bufano
w25”x h20” x L 40” – Ferro-cement
My family lived in the San Francisco Bay area while I was a young person. My dear ol’ Daddy would drag my mother and me to concerts and art museums frequently, usually in either Berkeley or San Francisco, or up to visit the Redwoods north of the city. One of our favorite places to visit was Ghirardelli Square, where there were at least two of Bufano’s sculptures. I loved all of his work, particularly a Bear that was even more simplified than my version.
Ferro-cement is a tremendous amount of work and not quite as satisfying as marble or other stone. I’m planning to make another version of this one in clay and have it cast in resin, bronze, or aluminum.
Happy dance
w25”x h30” x H40” -Bronze
A commissioned piece that stars on the page “The making of a bronze”. The motive was to celebrate the family’s two young, now adult, happy delightful kids. The mother of the family loves the poetry of ee cummings, hence the title. They gave me free rein on the design, which was particularly wonderful.
Pond Spirit
w34” x h30” -Bronze
This was created for two dear friends who made a place for me to live on their small estate. In exchange for a few pieces of artwork. What they wanted in particular was a “Pond Spirit.” I lived there for about three very happy years.
Peaches
w19”x h24” x d 20” -cast stone
Peaches was the beloved cat who greeted customers at the Volumes of Pleasure Bookshop in Los Osos, California.
White Oak Horse
w36”x h6’5″ x d40” -White Oak tree stump
My first, and most likely last, chain-saw sculpture. I enjoy carving, so there may be another in my future.
