Bart Walter Sculpture of Lion and Boy

Carroll County sculptor brings wild imagination to Westminster Library
By Jay R. Thompson

Drivers on Main Street in Westminster will soon notice an addition to the downtown decor.

A life-size bronze lion will be sitting like a majestic sentinel atop a granite pedestal near the entrance of the Westminster Library.

"It really was a library-inspired piece," said Lisa Back, a spokeswoman for the Carroll County Public Library system.

"At the base of the lion is a young boy who is reading a book," she said. "It's a physical representation of books transporting us to other worlds."

The sculpture "Wild Imaginings" was created by Westminster artist Bart Walter, who's been a full-time professional sculptor for three decades, during which time he's done about a dozen pieces of this scale.

"We thought it was important to use local artists to keep it tied to the community," Back said.

The lion will sit atop a polished, black granite pedestal that's about 3 feet tall. The top of the lion will be about 8 feet above ground level.

"I'm sure visitors will notice the lion first, and I hope it will communicate a real lion to them," said Walter, who has created works for The Smithsonian National Zoo, in Washington, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, in Jackson Hole, Wyo., the Maryland Zoo, in Baltimore, and Northwest Middle School, in Taneytown.

"But then they'll notice the boy and wonder about the boy in the context of a lion, and hopefully think about reading and how it can transport you to anywhere you want to be," he said.

"For children, hopefully it will open up their imagination," he said.

Walter knows what it's like to be transported by books.

"I grew up in Baltimore," he said. "I was stuck in the city all week and I became a mental traveler through books."

Walter's sculpture will be unveiled Friday, Sept. 17, at 3 p.m. at a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the library's renovation.

The Westminster branch is 30 years old, Back said.

"It was showing its age inside as well as outside," she said. Over the course of about three years, the library's roof has been replaced, lighting was improved, accessibility and walkways were improved, and the public spaces inside were renovated, including the children's area.

"You go through a tunnel to go into the children's area," Back said.

The cost of the renovation, not including the sculpture, was around $1.6 million, paid for with a state grant and with matching funds from the county.

"The final stage is the re-landscaping of the park in front of the branch," Back said.

The sculpture was paid for with private donations -- with a healthy discount from the artist himself, who said normally, a piece this size can run hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"We did it as a favor to a local institution that we enjoy and have enjoyed for a long time," Walter said. "I was just trying to help them make it happen."

The sculpture echoes a tradition of putting lion statues at the entrances of buildings.

"Sculptures have been used as guardians of libraries and art museums for well over 100 years," Walter said.

Some notable examples of lion statues as guardians are at the New York Public Library and at the Baltimore Museum of Art, putting the Westminster branch among grand company.

"Coming to the library should be more of an event than an errand," Back said.

"Wild Imaginings" is the first of four sculptures the Westminster branch library hopes to purchase from local artists.

The next piece will be carved on site next summer from limestone contributed by the Lehigh Cement Company in Union Bridge. The library is still searching for an artist and an artwork for that block of stone, Back said.



If your entrance needs a lion, or two, we have what you're looking for. Like our "Majestic Lions" pictured above, we can make your entranceway, public area, park, or landscape really stand out. Check out our website for all our beautiful lions and other animals.

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As Sculptures Proliferate in College Football, the Bar for Legends Dips; Casting Danny Wuerffel

Enough With the Statues, Already

By DARREN EVERSON

There's nothing wrong with commissioning a statue in honor of the late Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, who is universally regarded as one of the icons of college football.

Anyone who doesn't have a heart of stone would have supported Marshall's decision to display a memorial to the members of the 1970 football team who died in a plane crash.

But when a conversation about football statuary starts to veer toward the likes of Nick Saban, Danny Wuerffel and Tim Tebow, it's probably time to stop, locate the nearest paper bag and breathe into it.

If you need any more evidence that college football is in the midst of a new era of blind extravagance and euphoric self-congratulation, all you have to do is start counting statues.

A growing number of schools across the nation have decided they aren't content to reward winning coaches by paying them millions of dollars—or to honor their recent star players by retiring jersey numbers. The latest technique is to send a few still photos to the neighborhood sculptor.

By the end of the season, Alabama hopes to honor its current football coach of three seasons, Mr. Saban, with a statue outside Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. This is something the school has done for its other national-title-winning coaches. It was initially thought the statue might be up already, but it's still being molded because earlier renderings weren't quite right. "It looked like Robert De Niro," a school official said.

Florida, Alabama's top competition in the Southeastern Conference in recent years, is close to completing statues of the school's three Heisman Trophy winners—Steve Spurrier (1966), Mr. Wuerffel (1996) and Mr. Tebow (2007).

Oklahoma, meanwhile, is becoming statue central. Four of the Sooners' Heisman winners have gotten them since 2005; a fifth, of 2008 winner Sam Bradford, is on the way. Oklahoma also plans statues of four of its coaches over the next year, including Bob Stoops, the current coach.

The schools say the statues dress up stadiums, giving them a formal "front door" that celebrates their history. They say fans delight in snapping photos of the statues. They also note that these artworks are paid for in an appropriate manner: Mr. Saban's statue, which will cost about $50,000, is being funded by the Crimson Tide Foundation via private donations. So it's not like tuition increases are supporting this. "I'd just say that, right or wrong, the thing that brings a lot of immediate attention to a university is its athletic programs," says Alabama athletic director Mal Moore. "It's a way of recognizing that success."

It's obviously debatable, of course—especially in the case of Mr. Saban, who was coaching at rival LSU just a few seasons ago. "Saban statue is too much, too soon," said the headline of a Birmingham News column earlier this year.

"It's a dangerous precedent about the statement of football over academics," says author Chris Warner, an LSU alumnus and SEC football fan who wrote a book about conference tailgating. "We're building monuments to coaches. It's a pretty good indicator of where we are."

Traditionally, statues have been erected for football legends long after their playing careers or after decades of service, like the late Grambling coach Eddie Robinson, who had a museum opened in his memory in February on the school's Louisiana campus. Penn State's 83-year-old coach Joe Paterno, whose 18th-ranked Nittany Lions visit Mr. Saban's top-ranked Tide in a highly anticipated game on Saturday, had a statue unveiled in his honor in 2001.

Others have been immortalized in bronze or stone after a tragic death. Nebraska found a way to honor a revered former coach in tandem with a fallen former player: A 2006 statue depicts Tom Osborne, the school's all-time winningest coach, instructing quarterback Brook Berringer, who died in a 1996 plane crash at age 22.

Two years ago, Syracuse unveiled a statue of star running back Ernie Davis, the first black Heisman winner, who died of leukemia less than two years after winning the 1961 award. It was a fine subject, but there was just one problem: The statue depicted Davis wearing modern football equipment, including Nike shoes. (Nike didn't exist when Davis played.) The mistake was later corrected.

In 2003, Washington honored former coach Jim Owens with a statue, an event that spurred an NAACP protest. Mr. Owens had been accused of racism in 1969 for suspending four black players for a perceived lack of loyalty. Mr. Owens, who died last year, apologized at the unveiling.

Some subjects have approached these honors with humility. Mr. Wuerffel, the former Florida star, now works with Desire Street Ministries, a group that works to transform inner-city neighborhoods through what it calls "spiritual development." He says statues on campus shouldn't be limited to football players like him. "There are countless unsung heroes in our world that don't get the public attention that athletes and entertainers do."

"You don't have the statue there to idolize," says ESPN analyst and former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, who received one in 2008. "You have it to remind people of the tradition."

Mr. Saban's planned statue is a symbol of changing times. It used to be that no Alabama coach was worthy of mention in the same breath as Bryant, an Alabama player who returned and won six national titles there. But Bryant has been gone so long—he died in 1983—that Mr. Saban is all many Alabama students know, says Paul Finebaum, a Birmingham radio host and columnist.

And so public opinion about the Saban statue, which Mr. Finebaum says is mostly in favor, is somewhat split by age. "People 50 or above say, 'I don't have a problem with it, but don't you think we ought to wait?' " says Mr. Finebaum. "The young people wonder: Why doesn't he have a statue already?"




If you'd like to memorialize a sports figure, local hero, or mascot and you want a quality piece at an affordable price, we're the solution! We have done many custom pieces, like the one pictured above, and we can work with you to make your vision a reality. Even if it's another sports figure! Check out our website to see all of our great pieces and to check out more of our custom work.


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NEW SCULPTURES IN-STOCK!

We just got our summer load in with all sorts of beautiful statues, sculptures, and fountains including three pieces we feel will really be a hit! The first is a pair of 7 foot tall Roman or Greek centurion's. They're a perfect piece for a school as mascots or to guard the entrance of a home or office. The second, our exclusive design, is a statue of two children, or brother and sister if you will, with the older boy giving the younger girl a piggyback ride. This makes a great addition to a park, schoolyard, or public space. And, finally we have our box turtle piece, also our design, which is a great little piece for a garden, landscape, or inside your home. Check them all out at our website for pricing!

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Philadelphia Museum of Art gets a giant plug

Claes Oldenburg Sculpture
philly.com
By Stephan Salisbury

Philadelphia Museum of Art gets a giant plug

It dangled high in the air, a connector seeking a connection, before slowly being lowered into the waiting earth.

At 11:45 this morning, the Philadelphia Museum of Art was at last plugged in.

After hours of maneuvering and digging and pondering, the museum installed the latest addition to its outdoor sculpture garden, a gift from collector and philanthropist David Pincus - Claes Oldenburg's Giant Three-Way Plug, Scale A, a nearly 10-foot long electric plug, a cube tap grown to monstrous proportions, now protruding from a grassy knob outside the museum's west entrance.

Dating from 1970, the plug is the second colossal outdoor sculpture fashioned by Oldenburg using everyday objects as inspiration. (The first was his Lipstick, installed at Yale University in 1969.)

Pincus, 83, who watched Wednesday's installation for hours, acquired one of three big plugs (the other two are at the St. Louis Art Museum and the Allen Art Museum, Oberlin College), early in the 1970s and, with the artist's assistance, installed it in his Wynnewood backyard.

He remembers Oldenburg coming down from New York to help install the piece so many years ago.

"We had a wonderful time," Pincus said. "We were digging in the backyard. Even Oldenburg. He loved fresh fruit and my wife went out to get him some. He did some drawings in a little book."

Now Pincus has given the piece to the art museum in honor of Anne d'Harnoncourt, the museum's late director. The sculpture garden, which began with a sheaf of works by Isamu Noguchi, will be named in d'Harnoncourt's honor at a Sept. 7 ceremony.

"I'm sure Anne would be delighted with what they've done with the garden," said Pincus, now 83. "She was something special."

Will he miss seeing the plug as he strolls behind his home?

"My kids will," Pincus said, as he watched the crew of workers from Atelier Art Services, the Philadelphia firm that stored and moved the piece prior to its installation.

"'Dad, don't do that!'" Pincus said his grown children urged. "But art is for enjoyment. You have it in a lifetime. It doesn't belong to you."

Oldenburg, who couldn't make it down from New York for the Wednesday dig and drop, said the concept for the plug, made of Cor-Ten steel and bronze, was actually architectural.

"The plug looks very much like a building," he said, describing the form. It is actually set into the earth, like a building rising from a subterranean foundation.

"There was also the idea that this might have fallen from outer space," said Oldenburg. "It has no base, no platform." In fact, he said, it appears to have "fallen and created its own hole in the ground."

With the addition of the plug to the art museum's sculpture garden, there will be three high-visibility outdoor Oldenburgs in Philadelphia. A fourth is coming next year, a 50-plus foot paint brush rising from a plaza - yet to be constructed - next to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, across North Broad Street from the new convention center extension.

There is no question that Philadelphia is now the center of public work by Oldenburg, who is known for creating mammoth renderings of everyday objects. The first two works installed in the city were Clothespin, erected at the Centre Square office development, 15th and Market Streets, in 1976; it was followed in 1981 by the University of Pennsylvania's Split Button.



If you need a large bronze statue, sculpture or fountain for your museum, school, park, or workplace, we've got you covered! Check out our website http://www.bigbronze.com for all of our great pieces, all at wholesale pricing.

Salvador Dalí Sculpture Stolen from Belfortmuseum in Belgium

The bronze statue 'La Femme aux tiroirs' (Lady with drawers) by Spanish artist Salvador Dali, at the permanent exhibition of Dali art pieces in the Belfortmuseum in Brugge, Belgium. On 18 August 2010, the work was stolen from the exhibition room of the Belfort tower in broad daylight. EPA/JAN DHARTET - DALI-INTERART

BRUGES.- The sculpture "Woman with Drawers" by Salvador Dali, valued at 100,000 euros, was stolen from an exhibition hall in Bruges (NW Belgium), the Belgian press said today.

A security camera filmed how the thieves hid the statue in a bag and left the show shortly after noon Wednesday, images that are being analyzed by police, according to several newspapers.

The theft has not been confirmed yet by the company hosting the exhibition, Interart.

The work, a bronze of about 50 centimeters wide and 30 tall, weighs about ten kilos.

InterArt has been organising successful exhibitions with work of the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí since 1991. Inter Art exhibited a large collection of Dalí's paintings, watercolours, drawings and objects at the Bruges arts centre Oud Sint-Jan in 1997. After years of collecting and research, Inter Art opened the permanent Museum-Gallery Xpo: Salvador Dalí, Marquis de Púbol in the belfry of Bruges. The outstanding collection of watercolours, drawings, sculptures and famous works of graphic art are on display in a unique and exclusive building, which has been decorated by Barron Saint Mythelfinger, the 360° artist designer of Grand Opera Decor. He transformed the medieval hall into a Dalínian showroom, a work of art on itself. Its colours are gold, mother-of-pearl and shocking pink.



If you'd like to own a Dali inspired bronze you don't have to steal one, you can purchase our original piece pictured above. It's inspired by Dali's Venus painting and is sure to add a great artistic presence to your home, garden, or landscape. If you'd like to see more pictures and get pricing info, please check out our website.

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SAVE BIG for AUGUST Bronze Sculpture & Fountain Sale

Save even more! For the final 2 weeks of August we're offering an extra 10% off our already low low prices! Just mention you saw our blog and you'll save hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars on your purchase! We have the largest in-stock selection of bronze sculpture, statues and fountains on the east coast. We can also order any piece we may not have in-stock or do a custom piece that fits your exact need. Call us weekdays 9-4p EST at 302.738.2190. Add the perfect piece to your landscape, entrance, park, pool, or garden. You won't believe our selection! Children, animals, nautical, equestrian, classical and western are just some of the styles we have in-stock. Our prices can't be beat. Go to our site to see all our pieces!

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Brand New Sculpture added to our HUGE In-stock collection

Pictured above is the final version of our brand new design! Our "piggyback" bronze sculpture is a great way to add to an otherwise boring landscape, courtyard, or public space. great for parks, schools, hospitals, or your home. This piece was designed by our very own Broge Kilrain. You won't find this wonderful statue anywhere else. Especially at the great price we're offering it at!

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Bronze Horse Statues & Sculptures Delivered Free

If you're close by to our TAX FREE Newark, DE warehouse and need a bronze statue, sculpture, or fountain delivered fast we can help. Just stop by, pick out your piece and we'll arrange for your piece to be delivered. We can have pieces within a 50 mile radius of our location. The pictures above are of a recent delivery we made to a prominant lawyer here in Delaware. The bronze horse statues were delivered very nearly to the spot he planned on installing them. If you're interested in a bronze horse statue or fountain, we have the largest selection on the east coast, by far. Check out our website for all our beautiful bronze sculptures and fountains, at wholesale prices.

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GIANT 30Ft Bronze Horse Head Sculpture featured at Goodwood

Nic Fiddian-Green grooms his giant horse sculpture for Goodwood
guardian.co.uk

29 June 2010: Nic Fiddian-Green's latest creation, Greekhead-Artemis, is a 30ft bronze sculpture of a horse's head, which is destined to be the star attraction at next month's Glorious Goodwood horse-racing festival in Chichester. We go behind the scenes at the Liverpool foundry, where the sculptor is adding the finishing touches ...



If you're in the market for a bronze horse or equestrian sculpture, statue or fountain, we have the largest in-stock selection on the east coast. Just visit our website and see all of our beautiful pieces, like our polo player above, always at wholesale pricing.


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Winnipeg Millennium Library Park set for new Sculpture

$575,000 Sculpture set for Library Park
Winnipeg Fee Press

The refurbished Millennium Library Park will be the site of the city's most expensive public art project to date.

A $575,000 sculpture will be commissioned with money from the Winnipeg public art program and the 2010 Cultural Capital of Canada fund, officials announced Friday.

The actual piece and the artist making it have yet to be chosen.

A call to artists will be sent out nationally and internationally, and the winner will be chosen by a five-person selection committee, Winnipeg Arts Council officials said in a news release.

"The piece will be a permanent, contemporary artwork using elements of water and light," the statement said. "Whichever artist or artists are chosen will have to take the unique climate of Winnipeg into account, and ensure the artwork will also have a winter presence."

The sculpture is one of several arts projects being funded by the $2-million federal grant for the 2010 cultural capital program.

The arts council's public art program has $500,000 a year in its kitty.

The city's most expensive public art project to date is Montrealer Catherine Widgery's $250,000 River Arch sculpture, installed on the new Norwood Bridge in 1998.

Recent commissions include David Perrett's $150,000 bus shelter at the Ellice Avenue entrance to the University of Winnipeg and Gordon Reeve's $75,000 stainless-steel glacier at the Portage Avenue entrance to Assiniboine Park.



If you're looking for a piece for your local park, public garden, or town, but on a bit smaller scale, we've got a great selection of pieces to choose from! From animals to kids to nautical we've got something for every need. Check out our website for all our unique sculptures and fountains.



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GRANITE LIQUIDATION Japanese lanterns Table Benches Landscape Art

CALL US AT 302.738.2190.

WE'RE LIQUIDATING OUR GRANITE INVENTORY! We have several hand carved granite japanese garden lanterns, fountains, and temples as well as an aray of other fountains, benches, table, etc. that are perfect for a garden, landscape, or pond decor. These are hand craved granite pieces. We're selling at BLOWOUT pricing. These pieces usually go for $300 to $1200 and more!!! See the photos below (just a sample)! THESE ARE CLEARANCE PRICES!! DON'T MISS OUT! See our website at bigbronze.com for all our granite and our wholesale bronze statues, sculptures, and fountains in all styles and sizes.

You can pick them up at our warehouse in TAX FREE Newark, DE right off of I-95 or have them shipped freight collect. We recommend picking up as granite is very heavy. Serious inquiries only. Call us weekdays 9-4p at 302.738.2190"

Roman Sculpture Acquired by MOMA

Metropolitan Museum Of Art Roman Sculpture
Antiques and The Arts Online

New York, NY -- An ancient Roman group statue of great importance and beauty - a depiction of the Three Graces of Greek mythology - has been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The marble sculpture is a Second Century AD Roman copy of a Greek work from the Second Century BC. Discovered in Rome in 1892, the statue has been on loan to the museum from a private collector since 1992, and has been on view in the center of the Leon Levy and Shelby White Sculpture Court since it opened in 2007.

In making the announcement, Thomas P. Campbell, the museum's director, commented on the history of the composition: "The charming dancelike pose of the Three Graces - who stand in alternating front and back view, with their hands on each other's shoulders - is one of the most famous and enduring compositions known from antiquity. It was first developed in the Second Century BC, continued in popularity in the Renaissance, and has been influential during every subsequent period of Western European art. Thanks to the generous support of several trustees and other good friends of the institution, we are delighted to announce the addition of this superb, extremely well-preserved and beautifully carved work to the Met's encyclopedic collection, where it will continue to delight and inspire future generations."

The sculpture is on view in the center of the Leon Levy and Shelby White Court, where it is displayed with other Roman sculptures derived from classical and Hellenistic models.

The Three Graces are Aglaia (Beauty), Euphrosyne (Mirth) and Thalia (Abundance). They bestow what is most pleasurable and beneficent in nature and society. In mythology, they play an attendant role; their closest connection is with Aphrodite, whom they serve as handmaidens. For ancient authors, the triad also served as an allegory for the cycle of giving, accepting and returning favors, which were described by the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca as the "chief bond of human society."

After its discovery in Rome in 1892 near the ancient Forum of Nerva and Vespasian's Temple of Peace, this sculpture entered the collection of Joachim Ferroni and has since attracted much scholarly attention.

The Three Graces traditionally are shown as nudes with water jars covered by drapery at their feet, a representation that ultimately derives from the famous classical statue of Aphrodite by Praxiteles located at Knidos.



If you're looking for a classical piece to adorn your landscape or home we can help!
We have a great selection of Roman and Greek inspired pieces that are sure to add elegance to any location. Check out our website for our full inventory!

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Steve Worthington's Sumo Toads Frog Sculptures

sculptsite.com

The public will decide who gets the almost half a million dollars in prize money at the second ArtPrize event in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Steve Worthington's entry 'Amphibian Struggle' features several bronze toads, including his NSS exhibited, people's choice winning Sumo Wrestling Toads.

Plus there is a video component, featuring over 100 frogs, finger-drawn on his iPhone!

It highlights the struggle amphibians face, with more threats to their survival than ever before.

The publicly voted-on event runs from September 23 to Oct 10.



If you'd like a frog sculpture or statue for your garden, poolside, or landscape, check out our selection of pieces! ALL at CLEARANCE pricing! That's one of ours pictured above!

Please note: We are in no way affiliated with Steve Worthington or do we sell his sculptures.

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Bronze Sculptures highlight Endangered and Extinct Birds

Portland riverfront bird sculpture by Todd McGrain highlights species threats, extinction
OregonianLive.com
by Carolina Hidalgo

Starkly silhouetted against the Willamette River, five somber birds stand on a patch of grass at the southern tip of Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Elegant, melancholy and frozen in time, they silently invite passers-by to touch them, to take photos, to wonder where they came from.

From a distance, artist Todd McGrain, sporting a baseball cap and dirt-covered jeans, contentedly watched this week as people interacted with his larger-than-life sculptures.

Cast in blackened bronze, standing about 6 feet tall and weighing up to 700 pounds, the sculptures came from his studio in Ithaca, N.Y., where he's an associate art professor at Cornell University. Each one memorializes an extinct species.

The sculptures, presented by the Audubon Society of Portland and installed Wednesday, will remain for six months with the aim of raising awareness of the dangers facing today's bird populations.

"Once you know something of the life of that species, you realize that not having it in the world is a huge loss," McGrain said. That realization, in turn, is meant to provoke thought about human consumption of natural resources and disregard for the environment.

Nearly a third of the nation's 800 species are endangered or face significant threats, according to a 2009 report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with climate change adding to long-standing threats such as hunting and deforestation.

"There have always been changes in climate," said Brad Bortner, Portland-based chief of Fish and Wildlife's migratory birds division. "But we're seeing an accelerating rate of change now."

McGrain made three identical sets of bird sculptures as part of "The Lost Bird Project" and has long wanted to display a set in Portland because of the city's progressiveness and social conscience, he said. But there was a practical reason, too.

"Right now, there's a great deal of stress on the environment of the West Coast, and we're at an important place to remember past losses," he said.

He contacted Portland's Audubon Society five years ago after finishing his first sculpture. "I thought it was intriguing back then, and I had only seen one photo of the passenger pigeon," said Executive Director Meryl Redisch, recalling her first chat with McGrain.

Portland's display includes a Labrador duck, shyly preening; a passenger pigeon, an iconic extinct bird; and the Carolina parakeet, stripped of its vibrant color but bending forward with curiosity. Next is the heath hen, which McGrain calls feisty; and a great auk, one he has a particular fondness for and finds hardest to describe.

"There's no single word for the great auk," McGrain said, brushing its surface clean with his hands. "He's a real character. Like a penguin -- just a really wonderful character."

After the birds end their Portland run, McGrain would like them to visit other West Coast cities. "L.A. and Seattle -- wherever they can find roosts," he said with a laugh. He's breaking up another set, permanently placing each sculpture where the bird was last seen. And he wants the third set, still in his studio, to tour the East Coast.

McGrain got to know the long-gone species by visiting museum specimens and studying their relatives' behavior. He kept a homing pigeon in his studio for six months. Before deciding on poses, he crafted about a dozen models of each bird.

The sculptures' dark, minimalist forms are meant to draw people in and to inspire them to seek more information about the lost birds. McGrain spent a lot of time sanding them to be seamless and tactile, he said, like a beach stone. He chose a matte black finish because of the way it absorbs light.

"They're like black voids," McGrain said, watching two young women taking photos of the birds. He plans to visit the sculptures regularly over the next few weeks, photographing the community's interaction with them.

Soon, a sign will go up to explain their meaning.

"The information will really make a difference," he said as a man approached the young women to ask if they knew anything about the birds. When they couldn't help, he strode toward McGrain.

It seems years of getting to know the creatures won't let McGrain forget their transitory nature.

"Well," McGrain began, gesturing toward his birds, "it's temporary."



If you're in need of a beautiful bronze sculpture of a bird or birds, check out our selection of birds at our website!

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When nature and sculpture collide!

Talk about getting a little too close for comfort! This moose doesn't need a scent, just a good visual. The piece is by famed artist Joy Kroeger Beckner. I guess the realism is too much for this moose to resist.

If YOU'RE in the market for a wildlife sculpture or statue, we have a large in-stock selection available at wholesale prices. Including OUR bronze bison.

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THREE DAY SALE! 50% OFF RETAIL PRICING for ENTIRE IN-STOCK SELECTION

For 3 Days Only, you can get a beautiful hand made, museum quality, bronze sculpture, statue, or fountain for an incredible 50% off the retail price! We only offer this a couple times a year so don't miss out. Save on our full in-stock selection of bronze animals, children, and fountains. Now you can add that missing piece to your garden or poolside decor! Check out our website to see all our beautiful sculptures. Hurry though, the sale ends Friday!

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Greek police seize 2 rare statues from 2 farmers

AP Associated Press
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS

ATHENS, Greece - Police in southern Greece have seized a rare twin pair of 2,500-year-old marble statues and arrested two farmers who allegedly planned to sell them abroad for euro10 million ($12.43 million), authorities said Tuesday.

Police said two Greeks aged 42 and 48 were arrested in the Peloponnese area late Friday as they were loading the illegally excavated figures of young men into a truck. Authorities are seeking a third man suspected of belonging to a smuggling gang that planned to spirit the 6th century B.C. works out of the country.

"This is a very important find, of fabulous value, and (both statues) were ready to be taken out of Greece," Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos said.

Archaeologists said Tuesday the statues are "outstanding works of art" and may have come from a temple or cemetery in a lost ancient city in the Peloponnese region in southern Greece. Both are in excellent condition, but lack sections of their lower legs and were gashed by a plow or digging machinery.

They stand 1.82 meters (5 feet 9 inches) and 1.78 meters (5 feet 8 inches) high, and were probably carved by the same sculptor out of thick-grained island marble between 550-520 B.C, at the height of the archaic period of sculpture.

"They are exactly the same, with a slight variation in hairstyle and a small difference in height," said Nikos Kaltsas, director of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens where the finds were temporarily housed for conservation and study. "The artist may have wanted to produce two similar figures that would form part of a group."

The statues are of the stiff, highly formalized Kouros type widespread in the 7th and 6th centuries B.C. which portrayed gods, heroes or aristocrats and were painted in bright colors. From the 5th century on, Greek sculpture became more fluid and lifelike, culminating in the naturalism of the Hellenistic era.

Such discoveries in good condition are uncommon - about three have turned up during excavations in the past decade. But matching pairs are particularly rare.

Although the precise spot of the find is still unclear, authorities believe it may coincide with the lost ruins of Tenea, a city that according to ancient writers lay between Corinth and Mycenae and was first populated by prisoners of war brought back by victorious Greeks from the Trojan War - recorded in Homer's "Iliad." A similar, but slightly earlier statue discovered in what may have been Tenea's cemetery is displayed in Munich.

Archaeologists hope to find the missing leg sections, because the breaks are recent.

Police chief Lefteris Economou said the arrests followed information from culture ministry officials. He provided no details on the identity of the potential buyers or which country the finds had been heading for.

Antiquities looting is a major problem in Greece, where treasures - by law all state property - can lie inches below farmers' plows or modern buildings, especially in cities like Athens that have been constantly inhabited for thousands of years.

Illegally excavated finds can be impressive to look at, but all the valuable context, which in an organized excavation provides information on their use, date and origin, is lost during hasty looting digs.

"Going after antiquities thieves is our main priority," Geroulanos said. "Work has been done in that direction ... and we are starting to see the first major results."

Dozens of illegally exported finds have been returned to Greece over the past few years, including four masterpieces from the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.



If you want an ancient looking sculpture but don't feel like smuggling the real thing check out some of our replica pieces like our Perseus Slaying Medusa! Check out all our products here.

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Adding Sculpture Fountains to a Pool creates ambience and fun

The summer season is just around the corner, which means time to uncover the pool and get ready for fun. A great way to add some style to your deck, pool, or the pool landscaping is with a nautical themed bronze fountain. Not only will it make your poolside all the more appealing, it will create a fun element that the kids will love. Many of the fountains available shoot streams of water that act as your very own waterfall. They can be positioned nearly anywhere and be made to shoot water into the pool or as a way to create and extra element to the surrounding landscape. We have several pieces in-stock and ready for immediate shipment. They're easy to install and very durable. And, since they're bronze, they are an investment that will increase in value over time.

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