Sculptor of Deerhounds, Joan Creel

 

 

Sighthounds and in this case Scottish Deerhounds have been inspirational for artists, writers and poets through the ages. It is exciting that it is still so in the 21st century. I would like to introduce you to Joan Creel Winner of the Scottish Deerhound Club of America (SDCA) Art Competition at Lompoc California 2010.

Joan is the sculptor of this stunning bronze sculpture which is perfectly homed at Fernhill with Barbara Heidenreich and Richard Hawkins. How phenomenal  it is that an artist new to the medium of bronze sculpture would turn out such an outstanding piece as a relative novice. I should have asked Joan how many hours went into this piece, it probably would be astounding. I am reminded again that a latent passion to create should never be ignored; what a pity if a gift such as Joan’s were never to be realized. Thankfully Joan is creating new pieces and will continue to do so I hope.

I asked Joan to tell me a little about herself and her process, I am sure you will be interested to read Joan’s own words.

“After admiring and collecting Deerhound art for decades, retirement to Montana seemed the perfect time to explore a special interest — sculpture.  Having a foundry that casts bronze art pieces close by spurred me on, and after taking a short course class in the lost wax process, I started my first Deerhound sculpture, working in clay.

Casting in bronze is an interesting process.  First, a rubber mold is made from the finished clay and covered with a rigid shell to maintain the shape.  Melted wax is poured into that mold to create a wax replica of the clay original, and when it has cooled, the shell is broken off to reveal a wax replica of the original clay. A system of  wax rods called the sprue is attached to this wax replica to ensure that molten bronze will fill extremities, such as legs.  Next, the wax replica is encased in a heat-prooof material called the investment.  When molten bronze is poured into this investment, the wax burns out and is replaced by bronze.  Once this cools, the investment is broken off and you have a bronze sculpture, ready to be finished.  If the sculpture has been cast in pieces, they are welded together.  Then the sculpture is chased, or polished, to remove any rough spots, and the sculpture is ready for a patina.  Because the rubber mold of the original is not harmed by this process, a signed and numbered limited edition can be cast following the same process.

My first bronze, called “Dusk”  in honor of one of Isak Dinesen’s (Karen Blixen’s) Deerhounds at her Karen coffee plantation in Kenya’s highlands, turned out pretty well, so I donated one to the SDCA for a National Specialty fundraising auction.

Several people other than the winning bidder  were interested, and pieces from the edition of ten were cast to order for them.

Joan Creel's Dusk

 

Joan Creel's Dusk View 2

 Most important, Barbara Heidenreich and Richard Hawkins of Fernhill became my mentor/collectors, critiquing clays in progress as I moved on.

“Neil” & “The Chase”

The next project was for them — a larger outdoor bronze that now resides at Fernhill and can be seen on the Fernhill web site.   Step one in this process was to complete a small version, the maquette, or model, that an enlargement company used to measure data points that were entered in a computer-driven machining tool that carved a styrofoam enlargement  of the desired size. 

  After refining the styrofoam a bit, then covering it with a clay layer and doing the surface detailing,  two large bronzes were cast, one for Fernhill, the other for Mary Ann Rose, who joined Barb and Richard in supporting the project.   The maquette size piece became “The Chase” my second tabletop bronze.  Again, I donated one for auction at another SDCA Specialty.

For this year’s Specialty in Oregon,  my auction donation is a bronze from my newest limited edition, “I Know Where I’m Going”,  featuring a pup and named after a film beloved by Deerhounders.

I Know Where I'm Going

Deerhound on the Beach

Just completed in clay is “On the Beach”, a maquette for a piece initiated by Kris and Bayard Smith and Joan and Joe Giles after they visited Fernhill and saw my first larger bronze.  This maquette will be cast in bronze by Specialty time, where the Smiths and Giles will show it in hopes of generating subscribers for a Limited Edition of ten signed and numbered large bronzes.  The concept of sharing appealed to me, since dividing production costs among ten collectors makes sculpture far more affordable,  and it gives me another opportunity to work on a larger scale.

Deerhound on the Beach View 2

It’s been over six years now since I retired, and the time has flown, thanks to the most perfect creatures under heaven and the wonderful people who breed them.”

SDCA National Specialty 2010

The Scottish Deerhound Club of America National Specialty will be at the Basin Harbor Club- Vergennes Vermont May 11-16th 2010

If you have wondered about attending a specialty but have thought that a dog show all about one breed for that long would be terribly boring, I can tell you it isn’t at all! The days are packed with a lot of activities- Lure Coursing, conformation, seminars, agility & obedience events, meeting other deerhound fanciers  and to top it off to see, meet and get to know some of the best deerhounds from across the country. Take a couple of days off, find a sitter for the kids and the dog; treat yourself it’ll be fun.

The SDCA have two logos for the specialty this year. I particularly like the image of the sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American Sculptor 1848-1907 )

For detailed show information and hotel/ camping info visit http://www.deerhound.org/2010National/index.html.

Since Art featuring deerhounds is one of my interests I have seen Amy Romaniec’s work and was pleased to see that the organizing committee have commissioned Amy for trophies this year along with a raffle item of a biscuit jar featuring of course – Deerhounds. Amy is an artist from Pine Grove Mills Pennsylvania whose art is stoneware pottery.

For more about Amy her pottery and horses be sure to go to her site.  http://highhorsefarm.com/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=2&page=3

An eye of sloe with ear not low

Has there ever been a time when no stories were told? Has there ever been a people who did not care to listen? I think not.

When we were little, before we could read for ourselves, did we not gather eagerly round father or mother, friend or nurse, at the promise of a story? When we grew older, what happy hours did we not spend with our books. How the printed words made us forget the world in which we live, and carried us away to a wonderland,

“Where waters gushed and fruit trees grew
And flowers put forth a fairer hue,
And everything was strange and new;
The sparrows were brighter than peacocks here,
And their dogs outran our fallow deer,
And honey bees had lost their stings,
And horses were born with eagles’ wings.”*

*Robert Browning.    from     http://www.fullbooks.com/English-Literature-For-Boys-And-Girls1.html

Many Celtic scholars assert that the Feinn are a mythic people analagous to King Arthur and his knights. There too is dispute over whether Finn is Irish or Scottish. Since it is legend lets just say he is Celtic.

FIONN or Fingal, King of the Alba-men (or Caledonians) in the land of the great mountains, is a traditional hero in Celtic folklore.  Ossian (Finn’s son) is the narrator, and supposed author, of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, a character from Irish mythology. The furore over the authenticity of the poems continued into the 20th century.

Fingal was always accompanied by Bran “his famous and well-beloved hound.”It was while rescuing three children

from a giant’s castle that two puppies were found lying beside their mother, a large deerhound. Fingal’s

emissary stole the two pups, “these were the most valuable things which he saw inside.” Bran is one of the

immortal heroes of Celtic folklore; an old Celtic poem gives a description of his breed:

An eye of sloe with ear not low,

With horse’s breast, with depth of chest,

With breadth of loin and curve in groin

And nape set far behind the head-

Such were the dogs that Fingal bred.

In Ossian’s poems we find a description of Fingal’s joyous hunting:                                    

” Call,” said Fingal, ” call to the chase,

Dogs slim and choice in travelling the moo

Call Bran of the whitest chest;

Call Neart and Kiar and Lu-a;

Fillan, Ryno-he is in his grave,

My son is in the sleep of death!

Fillan and Fergus, blow the horn;

Let joy arise on hill and cairn,

Let deer start up in Cromala,

And by the lake of roes-their home.

The shrill sound rang throughout the wood;

A thousand dogs sprang over the heath;

A deer fell down to every dog:

Fell three to Bran alone;

And towards Fionn he turned the three,

To give great joy to the king.