Sculpture Saturday

Quirky sculptures: Sculpture Saturday

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These quirky sculptures are at Lassen RV Park Campground in McArthur, California. Their website describes the artwork as follows:

More than just a hub for relaxation and recreation, we’ve transformed our campground into a living canvas that celebrates the intertwining of art and the natural world.

The first collection shows painted wood creatures.

quirky sculptures
outdoor art
outdoor art

The second collection shows various mushroom sculptures.

quirky sculptures
mushroom sculpture
mushroom sculptures

There were also sculptures featuring recycled items.

quirky sculptures

outdoor art

To see photos of even more of their quirky sculptures and outdoor art, see this gallery.

Sculpture Saturday

Lassen RV Park Campground

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Four lounging lions: SS & WPCC

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This sculpture of four lounging lions is at the Oregon Zoo in Portland. The ‘Lunch Break’ brown bronze sculptures were created by Jim Gion and put on display at the zoo in 2009.

four lounging lions

On the day I was there, there weren’t many visitors because it was pouring down rain. On a more typical day, children would be having fun climbing all over the sculptures. See the video below.

I decided to post this today because I included posts with one, two, and three main subjects earlier this week. My photo shows four lions, but, as you can see in the video, there are two additional cubs.

Sculpture Saturday (SS)

Weekly Prompts Colour’s Challenge (WPCC) – Brown

Mountain goat sculpture & photo: Sculpture Saturday

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This bronze mountain goat sculpture shows an adult goat with a kid on its back. This piece was created by Pete Helzer and installed at the Oregon Zoo in 1998.

mountain goat sculpture

You can see real mountain goats at a nearby enclosure.

magnificent mountain goat

Sculpture Saturday

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Heron sculpture: Sculpture Saturday

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This bronze heron sculpture is in Barclay Park in Sisters Oregon. Artist Danae Bennett Miller uses the lost wax method in her castings. This piece was installed in December 2012.

Heron Sculpture

Sculpture Saturday

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Bear having fun sculpture: Sculpture Saturday

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I saw this bear having fun sculpture at the Oregon Zoo in Portland last spring. The artist did a great job of capturing a moment of a bear just doing what bears like to do.

bear having fun sculpture

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Sculpture Saturday

Lion at Portland Japanese Garden: Sculpture Saturday

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This lion at Portland Japanese Garden was guarding the entrance to the gardens. This statue shows a female with a lion cub under her paw. These statues represent protection and compassion.

lion at Portland Japanese Garden

They are known as komainu in Japan. In other parts of the world they may be called Fu Dogs or Foo Dogs.

Sculpture Saturday

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Osprey & fish sculpture: Sculpture Saturday

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This osprey & fish sculpture is at the north end of the Old Mill District shopping mall in Bend. When I walked by it recently, ice covering most of the pond made it stand out.

Osprey & fish sculpture

Here’s a more distant view that includes the two flag bridges. They change the color of the flags on these bridges to celebrate holidays and events.

Ice-covered pond

There’s an osprey nest just north of here, right next to the Bend Whitewater Park. I bet the local birds would love to catch two fish at once, as portrayed in this sculpture.

Sculpture Saturday

Snowy bear sculpture: Sculpture Saturday

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This snowy bear sculpture is located on the east side of Bend, Oregon. It’s part of our privately funded roundabout art collection. Art in Public Places has helped fund art in over 20 of our 51 traffic roundabouts.

snowy bear

I’ve been waiting for snow to fall here in Bend to photograph this sculpture. Can you see why I liked showing it as a snowy bear?

Roundabout bear sculpture

Grizzly was created by Montana-based artist Sherry Sander in 2001.

This sculpture is a block away from Bend High School. The mythical lava bear is their mascot.

Here’s one more photo, taken a month later, showing more snow covering the statue.

Bear sculpture

To see some of Bend’s horse-related sculptures in roundabouts and elsewhere, see my Outdoor Horse Sculptures post.

Sculpture Saturday

Beer bike rack in Bend: Sculpture Saturday

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I saw this creative beer bike rack in Bend at On Tap. This is one of seven “pods” where food trucks can park. Customers can enjoy a wide variety of food from the trucks and beer and other beverages on tap inside the main building.

Beer bike rack

I LOVE the Rush’s Squares pizza food truck here! My favorite is the Pesto Margherita pizza.

Rush's Squares Pesto Margherita

Sculpture Saturday

Weeping hemlock sculpture: TTL & SS

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This whimsical weeping hemlock sculpture is in the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon. The weeping growth pattern of this hemlock works perfectly for this garden feature.

Weeping hemlock sculpture

Thursday Tree Love

Sculpture Saturday

Fiddler crab, La Conner, WA: Sculpture Saturday

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Fiddler crab sculpture

Fiddler crab sculpture in La Conner, Washington

Sculpture Saturday

Crane sculpture, Portland Japanese Garden: Sculpture Saturday

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I saw this beautiful crane sculpture at the Portland Japanese Garden last fall. The colors of autumn cast a warm glow on this peaceful scene.

In Japanese literature, mythology, and art, cranes are often thought to live 1,000 years. They symbolize longevity and good luck.

I wish you good luck and much happiness in the new year!

crane sculpture

Sculpture Saturday

Bison jump sculpture, painting, & poem: SS & LAPC

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Bison sculpture

Bison jump sculpture in Cody

I saw this impressive bison jump sculpture at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Free Fall, created by T.D. Kelsey in 2001, depicts a hunting method in use for hundreds of years. Hunters herded bison toward a steep cliff, where they fell to their death. As I’ve mentioned before, bison are dangerous and this is a safer alternative for harvesting them. At the base of this sculpture, piles of bones appear in a recreated archaeological dig.

Sculpture in Cody

T.D. Kelsey was born and raised on a ranch near Bozeman, Montana. T.D. Kelsey: Realist, Romantic, and Inspired Sculptor describes his background, including time spent as a rodeo cowboy, pre-med student, rancher, and airline pilot. With encouragement from his wife, Sidni, Kelsey eventually began working full time as an artist. His love for animals shows in this piece and other sculptures and paintings he created over the years.

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Homeward Bound sculpture: Sculpture Saturday

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There’s a new sculpture at Tumalo Art Co. in Bend, Oregon. The Homeward Bound sculpture of a deer, by Danae Bennett Miller, is a cast bronze piece. Danae uses a lost wax process to create works of art. I previously featured one of her horse sculptures in Outdoor Horse Sculptures. That post highlights the work of several impressive sculptors.

Homeward Bound sculpture in Bend, Oregon
Sculpture Saturday

Bits & pieces of a whole: LAPC & Sculpture Saturday

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I’m always amazed by artists who collect seemingly unrelated bits & pieces of things and combine them into impressive works of art. This week I’m featuring War Paint by Greg Congleton. I have featured some of his other artwork on my blog since he’s one of my favorite local artists.

On a recent trip to Prineville, Oregon, I made a point of stopping to see this work. Greg created this piece in 2020. I decided to photograph the details of this sculpture more closely.

Here it is as you approach it from a distance.

War Paint by Greg Congleton

When you get a little closer, you can see the attitude of the horse and the rider.

War Paint by Greg Congleton

Greg is a master at showing expression in his welded metal sculptures. Look at the horse’s reaction to the situation.

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Rainbow Splendor, Troutdale: Sculpture Saturday

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Rainbow Splendor is a large statue of trout jumping in downtown Troutdale, Oregon. This work is by local residents and world-renown artists, Rip & Alison Caswell. A smaller version is for sale on their website.

Rainbow Splendor sculpture

Sculpture Saturday

Memories of a bison: Sculpture Saturday

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This morning I woke up with memories of a bison. This is Wooly Bully by local Central Oregon artist, Greg Congleton. This sculpture used to be in the Old Mill district of Bend but was moved several years ago.

memories of a bison

The artist includes collected bits and pieces of everyday and historical artifacts. For example, the guts are made from four cylinders and a crankshaft. The eyes are -7/8 inch hitch balls. The lungs are made from a Model A Ford horn. He has the vision and talent to incorporate the unexpected into his unique works of art.

Sculpture in Bend, Oregon

Maybe I was having memories of a bison because I was thinking of Yellowstone National Park. I hope to visit again soon and view the animals that inspired this outdoor sculpture.

To see a couple more of Greg Congleton’s pieces, and those of other artists, see Outdoor Horse Sculptures.

Sculpture Saturday

Canada goose sculpture at dawn: Sculpture Saturday

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The sun was rising and it was snowing lightly when I walked by this Canada goose sculpture in Bend, Oregon.

Canada goose sculpture at dawn
Sunrise over Canada goose sculpture

Here’s what it looks like with a bit more snow.

"River Geese" by Peter Helze Mill A Loop Deschutes River Trail Art3 2March2018
“River Geese” by Peter Helzer

This life-size bronze sculpture is by artist Peter Helzer. “River Geese” is part of the Art in Public Places initiative in Bend.

Canada goose pair and gosling 3June2017
Canada geese pair & gosling

There are plenty of real life Canada geese in this neighborhood to keep the artwork company. The Deschutes River, and the Bend Whitewater Park, is directly behind this sculpture.

Sculpture Saturday

Fungie the dolphin: Sculpture Saturday

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This is a sculpture of Fungie, a bottlenose dolphin who has lived in and around Dingle Bay in County Kerry, Ireland for 37 years. He has brought much joy to visitors and residents over the years. Unfortunately, he has not been seen for over a week. A large scale search is underway.

Fungie the dolphin in Ireland

Fungie holds a place with Guinness World Records for being the longest-lived solitary dolphin in the world. He is thought to be in his forties.

Sculpture in Dingle, Ireland

I am sending good thoughts his way…

May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.

Irish Blessing
Dingle Bay, Ireland

Sculpture Saturday

Outdoor Horse Sculptures: LAPC & Sculpture Saturday

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Summer is a great time to go see outdoor horse sculptures in Bend, Oregon. Here are some of my favorites.

This mare and foal sculpture by Bernie Jestrabek-Hart is at the High Desert Museum. Constructed of barbed wire, this piece portrays a tender moment in a work that is strong yet delicate. Bernie wrote the book, Creating Realistic Works of Art with Barbed Wire , to help others interested in working in this medium.

Outdoor horse sculptures Bend, Oregon
Mare & Foal by Bernie Jestrabek-Hart

This draft horse standing within three large circles of steel is by Devin Laurence Field. Horses played an integral role in Bend’s logging industry. Devin painstakingly constructs each steel piece in a process that includes cutting, forging, pressing, welding, grounding and polishing. This sculpture is in a roundabout in the northeast part of Bend.

Sculpture Bend, Oregon July 2020
Might of the Work Force by Devin Laurence Field
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