People will often ask, “how long does it take you to do a sculpture?” The response I may start with is something like “40 years” but in reality, I have worked on some pieces for over 8 years, with several taking 2-3 years to complete. Some pieces are started, or even completed, out in the field in front of the subject; such is the way with the Yellowstone bull elk sculpture “Intermission.” The act of sculpting from life, with a live, wild model just yards away, is both humbling and exhilarating–and work can proceed rapidly.
The sculpture started with a bull elk dubbed “moose”—which confused the heck out of plenty of tourists–and was done largely in one day of sculpting elk from life in Mammoth Hot Springs. Surrounded by his harem, this bull took a few moments to relax amid the mid day sun between bouts of corralling his darlings and confronting his adversaries, not unlike a boxer resting on his stool between rounds. At one point, Judge Cole—Yellowstone’s US Magistrate at the time, walked up to me as I was sculpting and stated, “I’ve lived here a long time and in all those years, I never seen anyone doing what you are doing. If you need to, if the bull charges, you can sculpt from my porch if you want to.” Thanks Judge!
“Intermission” – Bull Elk measures 17″L x 12″W x 13″H, and is an edition of 22. To purchase one of these sculptures, please contact us. To view George’s other sculptures, visit his gallery.