———-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.