Todd and Sharon's Art Page

We have come to realize that we love art.  It's not really a snobbish thing (it has a certain insouciance, but I think you'll be amused by its presumption), it's more like a visceral sensation that something is really cool, and that we'll never tire of looking at it.

We began our present phase by vacationing in Cannon Beach, Oregon.  Among the other art galleries and sights in Cannon Beach, we found that Bronze Coast Gallery caught our attention.  They feature bronze sculpture.  Most bronze sculpture is cast with the Lost Wax Process.  In the last few years, there have been advances in the patinas that are applied to bronze sculpture.  No longer constrained to dark brown, bronze sculptures can take on any number of colors now, and indeed imitate the colors and patterns found in marble and other natural substances.

For about 3 years, we admired a particular piece by Leo Osborne called "Golden Boy".  We went to Cannon Beach twice a year, and each time we went in, Golden Boy just knocked our socks off.  He's a lion, originally carved from a burl of wood, cast in bronze, with a patina that's reminiscient of tan marble.  Finally, we took the plunge and bought one (they were very nearly at the end of the edition).

Sharon has admired Cammie Lundeen's work on equestrian bronzes from the very first time we set foot in Bronze Coast Gallery.  Sharon grew up with horses, and she's a stickler for accurate stance and musculatrure in art.  Sharon actually put a down payment on "Freestyle" that first visit, but got cold feet and cancelled.  We later tried to buy "Freestyle" (at about the same time we bought "Golden Boy") but it was sold out (if anybody out there wants to sell one, write us).  

After missing out on Freestyle, Sharon zeroed in on "Itchy" .  Inquiries were made, and we discovered that once again, this piece was nearing the end of the edition.  We ended up buying the "Artist's Proof".  

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....  Just before Sharon decided to buy "Itchy", Todd did a web search on Cammie (actually looking for "Freestyle", that is out of edition), and hit on the Kiwanis of Loveland, CO sculpture site.  There, he found a very nice piece that Sharon had never seen, called "Driven".  A bonus, the Kiwanis site proceeds go to their pediatric trauma fund.  Todd scored major points by giving Driven to Sharon for Christmas in 1997.  

While cruising the Kiwanis site, we noticed a link that features public sculpture in Loveland.  In Loveland, art is one of their major industries.  There are a number of bronze foundries in the area, and a concentration of businesses devoted to art in one way or another.  Every August for the last 15 years, the Loveland High Plains Arts Council has sponsered an event called Sculpture in the Park.  This event draws 175 artists to show and sell their work.  In 1998, this show took place August 8-9, and we went for the first time.

We have admired the works of David Crawford for several years.  It took us a few years to put together an impression of his work.  We saw individual pieces like "Stick Horse", "Seated Warrior", "China Closet Bull" and "Horse Bowl" and thought they were all very cool.  We just didn't make the connection that it was all the same artist.  It all came together for us last year when we saw a collection of photos of his work in another gallery.  

That's when we first saw a photo of "Buffalo".  While Buffalo is very cool from a distance, he really comes into his own on close inspection.  He's detailed with all manner of oddments.  There's a fair amount of American Indian petroglyphs covering his body.  There are also some details that can best be described as "architectural".  

David runs fairly small editions of 9.  Unlike many other bronze sculptors, he does the fabrication and detailing of each piece in the run.  It's more common for a sculptor to do the first piece and then have foundry technicians execute each copy.  The artist then does an inspection to ensure it meets his or her standards.  David's constant involvement keeps his runs small.  While this practice means the pieces are of very high quality with all of the quirkiness preserved, it also means that Crawford's pieces sell out fairly quickly.  

We bought Buffalo based on the photo and description alone.  When we took possession (about 3 months later, the flow time it takes to build one), we were very pleased.  The photo does not begin to capture the detail of the piece.

While in Loveland this last August, we were taken by surprise at the number of sculptures in Stone. We went to the show with the preconception that it was all about bronze. In particular, we were attracted to a piece by Sandra Messina. It's carved of Colorado Marble (from Marble, Colorado) and it's an abstract piece.

Sandra told us that the chunk of marble (we think it's "Yule Marble") was quarried over 100 years ago for the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This particular chunk was rejected because it had colored veining and some overly large crystalline structures. The quarry was eventually sold, and the new owner began selling off all the scraps of marble on his land. Sandra bought a chunk and fashioned it into this piece.

We were taken with it, bought it, and refer to it as "The Unknown Lincoln".

When in Cannon Beach, we always stop in Icefire Glass Works

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