Howard G. Hudson
Bronze Sculpture

Native American

———-Native American———-

“Osceola”

• 2019 • Bronze • Tint – ferric/brown • Height 23”, Depth 9”, Width  17” •  44 lbs •

Series of 24

Price upon request

The Seminole people are a polyglot of not only several tribes, but also several races. They had their origins primarily in the Creek nation, some of whom migrated into Florida from Georgia, and were also sometimes referred to as Lower Creeks. Osceola was born and named Billy Powell, in Georgia as the son of a Scottish trader and a mixed race Creek woman named Polly Coppinger. The Creeks were one of the Southeastern tribes that owned slaves and they intermarried, so Polly reflected that heritage. Since the records of his appearance contain only the images created by several painters, I have taken the liberty of depicting him in this bust as a robust young warrior whose features reflect his mixed heritage.


“Geronimo”

Geramino Statue Geramino3 Geramino Statue

• 2013 • Bronze • Patina – Red/Brown • Height 19” Width 9” Depth 12” • 25 lbs.

Series of 18

Price Upon Request

Geronimo’s story has been widely told and his status as an American Indian icon is forever guaranteed by every kid who jumps off a bridge into a swimming hole repeating the WWII paratroopers cry. He was in fact a remarkable individual. A leader of the Bedonkohe Apache, he was an incredible fighter, both a fearsome warrior and a remarkably skilled tactician.. He became a thorn in the side of first the Mexican Army and then the U.S.Cavalry in the mid to late 19th century. His encounters with the Mexican Army were many in his late teens and early twenties, as he raided, stole horses and occasionally killed Mexicans. The event that was a tragic game changer for him was a raid on his village by the Mexican Army, where they killed his wife, mother and children while he was off on a raid of his own. Thereafter, the ferocity of his actions against his enemies may be better understood.

This sculpture is intended to reflect some of the intensity of Geronimo’s response to his family’s destruction and depicts him as a young man, intent on dispatching a foe with a throwing knife. Although most of the photographs available of him were taken in his middle and later life, his stature and facial likeness here are intended to realistically represent Geronimo in his mid twenties. The study captures him in the midst of throwing the knife, the energy of his legs and turning body transmitted to the trailing right arm, the knife held in the fingertips for quick release.


“Medicine Crow”

Medicine Crow Statue Indian Head2 Indian3

• 2004 • Bronze • Tint – brown/black/bronze • Height 22”, Length 14”, Width 9” • 82 lbs. with base •

Series of 12

Done from 1908 photograph by Edward S. Curtis.

Apsaroke Crow chief, Medicine Crow, whose name translates more accurately as Sacred Raven, was born in the Musselshell country around 1848. He was born into the Kicked in the Bellies division of the Crows, member of the New Made Lodge clan and Lumpwood warrior society. He was the son of Jointed Together, reportedly a prominent headman, who died, probably of smallpox, before he was born. His mother, One Buffalo Calf, later married a medicine man named Sees The Living Bull who became influential in his upbringing. During his late teens he fasted often and experienced visions which proved prophetic, one involving the coming of the white man and, thus influenced many of his later actions.

Medicine Crow joined his first war party at the age of 15 and over the next nineteen years he obtained the honors necessary to become a chieftain. His battles were primarily against the Lakotas and involved the critical warrior requirement of counting “coups”. In 1876, along with 176 other Crows, he joined General George Crooks troops at the battle of the Rosebud and a year later led the Crow scouts with US Troops against the Nez Pierce, where a Lt. John Bourke observed “ Medicine Crow, the Crow Chief, looked like a devil in his war bonnet of feathers, furs and buffalo horns.”

In 1880, along with a delegation of 5 other tribesmen, he went to Washington to negotiate settlements in the Crow agency and divide the land into individual farms. There, it is reported his artistic side flourished and he spent time sketching the animals he saw in the Washington zoo. While other tribes were moved from their land, he was influential in establishing the Crow Agency on ground they occupied.

Medicine Crow settled in Lodge Grass Creek, where he took up farming. In 1890 he was appointed a tribal judge and he was a force in maintaining tribal unity, firmly opposing the sale of tribal lands. He died in 1920 and is buried in the area of the Little Big Horn, the Valley of Chieftains. He reportedly had taken 6 wives. His last grandson is Chief Joseph Medicine Crow, now 94 and one of the official tribe historians.


“Geronimo” 1907

Geramino 1906 Statue Geronimo 1907 Geronimo 1907

• 2014 • Bronze • Patina – Red/Brown • Height 13” Width 6.5” Depth 10” • 21 lbs.

Series of 18

Price Upon Request

This head was done using a photograph of Geronimo, taken by Adolph Muhr and dated 1913. The problem with that is that Geronimo died on February 17, 1909, so, I used the 1909 date to identify the fact that Geronimo was near the end of his life at the time and showing the effects of a long, hard, battle-filled existence. His hair , though thinning, is still thick for a man in his late seventies, his cheekbones pronounced and his cheeks hollow. He had a notable wart on his right cheek and an unexplained indentation on his right temple, the result most likely of a significant wound earlier in life. This is the visage of a fierce and proud old warrior.

Mustang

Mustang Statue Mustang Statue Mustang Statue

• 2015 • Bronze • Patina – Black • Height 15”, Width 7”, Depth 22”• 27 lbs.•

Series of 24

Price Upon Request

The first thing about this piece is that I love horses. Since I grew up with them, cared for them, rode them, trained them, taught others to ride and care for them, I truly love them. I feel at a loss when I don’t see one for a while. They all have distinct personalities and are definitely their “own person “, if you will. To me they are like large dogs and can be every bit as loyal once they get to know you.

They are also very large, powerful creatures, for which we humans must show some considerable respect. Seen from the perspective of anatomy and efficiency of function, they are truly magnificent. There is a regal elegance to them which is commanding and the image of the free mustang running across the western plains is a metaphor for the wild west. It is all of those feelings that I have sought to convey in this piece done from a photograph and from memory.

Athletics

———-Athletics———-

“The Winner”

The Winner The Winner The Winner

• 2019 • Bronze • Tint – polished bronze • Height 6”, Depth 3”, Width  3” •  2 lbs •

Unlimited Series

Price upon request

During his introductory remarks to fledgling boxers Joe Brown pointed out that ” in order to hit someone, you have to be close enough to be hit yourself”. He went on to say that a good defense is seldom, if ever, enough and that in the “sport” of boxing, there are really no winners. His detached retina from his own ten fight undefeated career was testament to the fact. Joe did a piece with this subject matter and I have now followed his theme with this small head, showing a boxer with a swollen and closing left eye, a cauliflower right ear and a nose which has been broken on more than this most recent occasion. As Joe often opined, usually after telling a joke, “there is a moral here”.

“Warrior Game”

Warrior Game Warrior Game Warrior Game

•2016 • Bronze • Patina – Gold/Brown• Height 31”, Width14”, Depth 18″ • 68 lbs.

Series of 24

Price upon request

The game we know as lacrosse was played by the various Indian tribes often as a day-long event and was often a means of settling disputes between tribes and villages. It was played aggressively, as the translation of its Cherokee name as ” little war” or its Mohawk name “little brother of war” would indicate. There was little passing of the ball, for example,  and it was viewed as cowardly to avoid contact with an opponent. The game could involve hundreds of players and the distance between goals varied between a few hundred yards and several miles. Given the extraordinary physical demands of these contests, clothing was usually minimal, as this figure suggests, but also consistent with the Indian life style. I modeled the stick after a blend of the ones used by the Creek, Choctaw, and Cherokee in the mid 1800’s. The stick evolved over time from a simple spoon-like device, to this one with a closed loop and deer sinew webbing. Eventually, a larger u-shaped stick became common with a much larger net. While early lacrosse balls were made of wood, by the 1800’s the ball, which I have copied here, was made with a skin cover very much like our baseball, covering a light-weight filler of feathers or hair.

A copy of this sculpture is at Bryant University, Smithfield, RI in the Chace Athletic Center where it is accompanied by a plaque inscribed each year with the name of the current year’s winner of the lacrosse “Bulldog Warrior” award.


“Highland Hammer”

Highland Hammer, bronze Highland Hammer, bronze Highland Hammer, bronze

•2018 • Bronze • Patina – Gold/Brown• Height 31”, Width 16”, Depth 22″ • 86 lbs.

Series of 24

Price upon request

The highland, or Scottish, games include a range of weight events, along with traditional dancing and band competitions. Among these weight events, in addition to the well known caber toss, is the hammer throw. This event is comparable to the Olympics and NCAA field event, with several exceptions. In the NCAA version the steel ball is connected to a handle by chain and the thrower spins to gain momentum before release. In the Scottish version the weight itself is a solid piece wherein a relatively stiff handle is connected to the ball, weighing either 16 or 22 pounds. The highlander  assumes a fixed position ( often aided by shoe-attached steel blades which are dug into the ground ) and swings the weight around his head. The dynamic involved is similar to the golf swing but considerably more aggressive, due to the heaviness of the weight and the objective of releasing the club itself.

“Fadeaway”

Fadeaway, bronze Fadeaway, bronze,basketball Fadeaway, bronze

•2017 • Bronze • Patina – Gold/Green • Height 29”, Width 10”, Depth 14″ • 36 lbs.

Series of 24

Price upon request

This piece was modeled using a photograph of a seven foot NBA player, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, executing what is known as the fadeaway shot. This is a maneuver that is extremely difficult to defend against, particularly  “outside the paint”, when executed by a very tall person.

“Free Kick”


Free Kick Statue
Free Kick Statue
Free Kick Statue

• 2014 • Bronze • Patina – Golden Brow • Height 13”, Width 6.5”, Depth 10″ • 21 lbs.

Series of 18

Price upon request

This soccer theme was inspired by a photograph of David Beckham in the act of taking a kick so named.

“Possible Completion”

Football Player 3 Football Players Football Players Statue

• 2011 • Bronze • Tint – Brown/black • Height 20”, Length “26”, Width 12” • 58 lbs •

Series of 18

Price upon request

This piece depicts a story involving energy and uncertain outcome. While the particulars obtain exclusively to the game we Americans call football, the dynamics of the impending collision are clear .

Here is a situation involving a tight end and a defensive back. The larger of the two is the tight end and, as a lineman, wears thigh and knee pads and high top shoes. He is about ten yards past the line of scrimmage and has broken his intended pattern to reach back for an under-thrown or, possibly, tipped ball. He is in an awkward and vulnerable position.

The slightly smaller and faster defensive back wears no thigh pads. The back also has low cut shoes and has cut his pants off above the knee, all intended to increase mobility. He has developed considerable momentum and he’s delighted to see the tight ends’ dilemma.

The upcoming collision will most certainly cause the tight end some discomfort. The question is whether he will be able to hold onto the ball.


“Open Field”

Football Player Statue Man Football Player

• 2009 • Bronze • Tint – Brown/bronze • Height 13”, Length 5”, Width 5” • 26 lbs.

Series of 12

Price upon request

This piece was modeled using a newspaper photograph taken in the fall of 2008 featuring former Dallas Cowboy and Arizona Cardinal running back Emmitt Smith.

Emmitt is seen here running to daylight, presenting the defensive back or linebacker with the challenge of determining which way he is going to break, clearly not an easy task and one of the reasons he became a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.


“Clear Shot”

Clear Shot Statue Clear-Shot1

• 2015 • Bronze • Patina – Red/Brown or Color Wash • Height 16”, Width 14, Depth .5 to 1.0” • 14 lbs.

Series of 24

Price upon request

During the summer of 2014 a friend suggested I do a lacrosse piece and helpfully provided a great action photograph. Since we were in a four month rental in New Canaan, CT and I was without my usual materials for a traditional, three dimensional sculpture, I improvised. Thus, a bas relief was born, utilizing a piece of  wallboard found in the basement and the modeling clay I always have on hand. The process was intriguing as it merged the two dimensional restrictions and perspective distortions of a painting with the raised sculpted relief.  The action subject matter was exciting enough to encourage me to produce the full figure American Indian lacrosse piece, “Warrior Game”

In the Bronzart Foundry in Sarasota, where I do most of my casting, we did one copy with a traditional monotone patina and tried another with a color wash. The two pieces are shown here for comparison. As with all other bronzes, the color and finish can be selected to personal taste.

The photographs of my sculpture were done by Bonnie Greenberg of West Palm Beach.

Abstract

———-Abstract———-

“Time Being”

Time Being, bronze Time Being, bronze Time Being, bronze

• 2017 • Bronze • Tint – red/brown • Height 31”, Length 19”, Width 21” • 88 lbs •

Series of 18

Price upon request

A formed expression of infinite existence. Originally done as a pair to complement the entrance of our friends home in Florida.

 


“Life Line”

Life line, bronze Life Line, bronze Life Line, bronze

• 2017 • Bronze • Tint – polished bronze • Height 18”, Length 16”, Width 16” • 56 lbs •

Series of 18

Price upon request

This piece preceded ” Time Being ” pursuing a similar theme. The bronze is mounted on a tapered stack of black marble discs for elevation and contrast.

Classic

———-Classic———-

Its Only A Game, bronze Its Only A Game, bronze Its Only A Game, bronze

• 2008 • Bronze • Tint – brown • Height 16”, Length 12”, Width 12” • 26 lbs •

Series of 12

Price upon request

 Consideration of life’s greater meaning through the merger of a golf ball and our planet in a grand scale symbolic hand.

“Really”

Really, bronze Really, bronze Really, bronze

• 2017 • Bronze • Tint – green/black • Height 18”, Depth 9”, Width 8” • 15 lbs •

Series of 18

Price upon request

A whimsical observation on the passing scene.

“Waterfall”

Woman laying on her back Woman on Back Waterfall Statue

• 2007 • Bronze • Tint – green/black • Height 14”, Length 18”, Width 10” • 45 lbs •

Series of 18

Price upon request

Greek myth has it that Psyche, a mortal, was quite attractive by the standards of the time and, thus, aroused the jealousy of the goddess Aphrodite, wife of Zeus. One thing led to another and Aphrodite persuaded her son Eros, later known as Cupid, to pay Psyche a visit, and, by firing one of his arrows at her, cause her to fall in love with an ugly monster.

Aphrodite’s plans fell apart when Eros, upon sighting the fair Psyche, chose not to skewer her with one of his arrows but follow a different course of action. And so, the two fell in love, but, were not joined in marriage as many complications ensued.

Not the least of which, Aphrodite was now sorely miffed. Since she was a goddess, she chose to capture and imprison Psyche. In addition, Aphrodite sent Psyche on a series of journeys to perform tasks so difficult that something bad, she hoped, would befall her.

It was on one such journey, the search for “the water of youth”  that we find our heroine depicted. Here, Psyche has chosen to rest and refresh herself in the spray and mist from a mountain waterfall.


“Cliff”

Cliff Statue

• 2012 • Bronze • Tint – green/black • Height 17” Width 15” Depth 10” • 35 lbs •

Series of 20

Price Upon Request

Contemplating the meaning of eternity, this little fellow called “Cliff ” is perched above the abyss of endless time. The piece now includes the cliff supporting him, but can be cast and offered separately.

“Seabreeze”

Woman Standing Seabreeze Statue Seabreeze Statue

• 2011 • Bronze • Patina – Black/Green • Height 14” Width and Depth 9” • 7 lbs •

Series of 18

Price Upon Request

This sculpture represents something of our connection with the ocean and how the onshore breeze feels, possibly evoking a memories of one’s own interaction with the elements.

“Myrtle”

turtle

• 1984 • Bronze • Patina – Green/Black • Height 8” Length 14” Width 10” • 27 lbs •

Series of 18

Price Upon Request

In the fable fashioned to make the plodders among us feel a little better about ourselves, the “ slow and steady “ turtle (tortoise) won the day in a race against the clearly faster, but fatally cocky, rabbit (hare). The victory behind her, our winner is seen here showing a bit of attitude, ready to take on the next challenger.