Robert Allison

Robert was introduced to sculpture during his many visits to Brookgreen Gardens in his native state of South Carolina. This influence is seen today in his love for figurative realism and attention to details. The figurative works he creates evolve from day to day interactions, stories his children and wife share with him, or his love of the mythical, whimsical characters of the Romans and Greeks. He strives to bring forth, out of the cold clay and metal, the pride and determination of the male, the grace and inner strength of the female, the tender innocence of the child and the indomitable spirit of God’s creatures.

He received a BA in Sculpture and a BS degree in Computer Science from the University of South Carolina. He committed himself full-time to sculpting ten years ago. Robert has studied with numerous internationally known sculptors and also had the privilege of studying at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy.

In each piece, it is very important for him to focus on the smallest of details; placement of a hand; strands of hair blowing in the wind; eye contact between the subjects; to the tiniest, delicate fingernails. “It is what makes a complete sculpture.”

In 2003, he and his family moved to Colorado for the opportunity to work in the medium he enjoys most – bronze. Since the move, he has exhibited in nationally recognized shows and placed over 15 sculptures in public collections
throughout the southeast.

(Sculpture title: Turtle Taxi)

Tucker Bailey

This petite, feminine woman belies the enormous talent contained within. She became fascinated at her first encounter with bronzes when just a young girl visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and that captivation has grown into her life's work.

She has won awards at exhibitions that most artists would be grateful to simply be invited to, including the Allied Artists of America's Phillip Isenberg Award for Sculpture in New York, in 1997 and 1998, and the Claude Parson Memorial Award for Sculpture at the American Artists Professional League Grand National Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club, also in that city.

Commissioned to create three sculptures for the North Carolina Zoological Park, she created a pair of giraffes which were installed in June of 1998. They provide not only an addition of graceful beauty to the zoo, but also serve as a means by which vision-impaired visitors can enjoy and experience the animals through the sense of touch.

Her wildlife pieces, from Cougar in Repose to Wild Hare, always attract attention, but she also has created serene and thoughtful studies of young girls as they ready to ride.

(Sculpture title: Wild Hare)

Joan Baliker

When she graduated from Chicago’s American Academy of Art in 1949, heading to her first job as a color consultant in a decorating and design studio, Joan Baliker might not have believed that forty years later she would pursue a far different kind of art career. When Joan became the bride of a military man, she began the journeys that allowed her to experience a great variety of cultures and artistic forms. She studied Hawaiian Sumi painting, pastel portraiture, and acrylic and watercolor painting over the years. She also developed a respect for the cultural and religious rituals that were hallmarks of each place that the family called home.

After their final stop landed them in Florida, Joan began assisting her son Paul as he built his career in sculpture that soon rose to a national reputation. She adopted clay sculpture as her medium of expression, and fused it with her growing interest in the commonality of cultures.

In 2000, after pursuing religious studies, she became an Interfaith minister, which she describes as "one who follows her own path, but honors the paths of others." She hopes that her bronze sculpture helps us to consider our neighbors and ourselves as "Kindred Spirits" - the name she has selected for her collection of figures of spiritual role models. To date, she has completed representations of Gandhi, Mother Teresa, a Whirling Dervish, a rabbi blowing a shofar, a seated meditator, a Buddhist woman and an African grandmother bathing her young grandchild in the Wodaabe ritual.

Joan says, “It is my hope that those seeing my works as a series will have their own moment of connection with one or several of these spiritual friends and will be prompted to engage in further investigation and study.” 

(Sculpture title: Mother Teresa)

Paul Baliker

Paul created his first sculpture at the tender age of eight, not dreaming that it would actually become the focus of his life years later. But when he was faced with earning a living in college, he started collecting driftwood from the beaches and rivers and whittling simple images into them. It's a toss-up whether he was more amazed at how much he loved creating the images, or that people would pay him for doing something he loved so much. But once begun, sculpting became his greatest passion and his sole livelihood - and has continued as such for twenty-five years.

A self-taught artist, Paul receives inspiration from Nature, and is likely to be found either fly-fishing or surfing when not absorbed in the process of sculpting. Years of activities near, in or under the water have provided him with an intimate knowledge and profound respect for Nature, especially her aquatic creatures. He hopes that his sculpture inspires others to develop a similar appreciation and respect.

A few years ago, national attention was focused on Baliker's work when an hour-long PBS special, "For the Love of Manatees," was filmed around the creation of "Wellspring," his life-size sculpture of a manatee and calf. The program did a great deal to help the public understand these gentle creatures, and led to an even greater awareness of his talent as a sculptor, and his dedication to increasing the public's understanding of the importance of Man's symbiotic relationship with Nature and the environment.

Baliker's monumental sculpture - some of wood, and others in bronze - can be found in public sculpture gardens, corporate collections, and in private homes across the country. He has been an invited participant in Colorado's "Sculpture in the Park" event, and has had two of his works purchased for permanent public placement in Loveland, Colorado.

A life-size wood sculpture ("Evolution") is in New York's Empire State Building, and other works have been selected for Florida's Daytona International Airport, the Orange County Convention Center, and for sculpture gardens in Michigan and Oklahoma.

(Sculpture title: Lion Around)

Nell Bannister Scruggs

This native of North Carolina now lives on the West Coast and has interest in subjects that are far-ranging. She began sketching at a very early age, and graduated to oils and pastels as she progressed, learning anatomy, perspective, composition and color. It was only then, after obtaining a solid background in art, that she was introduced to sculpture and discovered the magic it held for her.

She studied with well-known western sculptors Elie Hazak and Grant Speed as well as the world-renowned Italian sculptor, Bruno Lucchesi. Her bronzes have been recognized by the Golden state Sculptors Association and by Loveland's Art in the Park, the two largest sculpture shows in the United States. Her works are shown in fine galleries across the country, including the Village Gallery and Turtle Creek Gallery in Asheville, NC; Kennedy Studios in Provincetown, MA; Sinclair Fine Arts Gallery in Portland, OR; and Stellers Gallery in Jacksonville, FL.

Of her work process, she says, "Each one of my sculptures begins with a dream… a vision… that very slowly takes shape and finds its essence in clay. Only when I am truly satisfied that a piece is the perfect expression of my subject, do I submit it to the complex casting process that transforms the raw clay model into glowing, enduring bronze." She enjoys the variety of subject matter that sculpture presents. And she explains, "I try to show the feelings we all have and can relate to, whether the subject of the sculpture shows… the power and wild energy of a horse, the tenderness of a mother toward her child, the toughness of a weary cowboy or the spirit of an Indian."

(Sculpture title: Water Nymph)

Bob Barinowski

Now a resident of South Carolina, Bob Barinowski was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and is a graduate of Virginia Military Institute. He began his new profession as a sculptor after retiring from two previous careers in the United States Air Force and the aerospace industry.

Bob has studied under such prominent sculptors as Eugene L. Daub, Tuck Langland, Anthony Antonios, and Paul Lucchesi, through workshops at Loveland Academy of Fine Arts in Loveland, Colorado, Scottsdale Artists School in Scottsdale, Arizona, Lucca Italy, and the Masters Classes at Brookgreen Gardens, SC. His works consist of portraiture, figurative and relief sculpture in terra cotta and hot and cold cast bronze.

(Sculpture title: Isaiah)

Carol Barks

Carol says, “To me, art is soul work. I begin a piece by feeling and understanding the immense energy of the raw stone. I consciously pull my thoughts back to allow the life in the stone to act upon me until there is a melding of the life in the stone and my own creative thoughts. Each sculpture is thereby a co-creation. When this experience is achieved, a balance of proportion as well as masculine/feminine life can be perceived in the sculpture.”

Growing up in Chattanooga, TN, and attending the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Carol pursued a career in education. She taught school at the Westminster School in Atlanta, GA, in public schools in Lynchburg, VA, and in Chattanooga, TN. While in Chattanooga, she moved into special education and taught visually impaired and legally blind children from the first through the twelfth grades. Carol and her husband, Dr. Herbert Barks, also lived in Shreveport, LA, Hamburg Germany, and Los Angeles, CA. For a period of six years before moving to Columbia, she had a jewelry business where she designed her own pieces.

Carol began her sculpting career at age fifty-seven after moving to South Carolina. Her first instruction was from a wood sculptor, Sir George Gabb, friend of Henry Moore, and the declared a “national treasure” of his country, Belize. Later, she attended an eight-day intensive hands-on workshop instructed by Jill Burkee of Pietra Santa, Italy, and New York City. Beyond these two experiences, she is self-taught. (Sculpture title: Asana)

Betty Beasley

My love of horses must have started when I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. My mother saved a picture of a horse that I drew at age two. It was recognizable. While other kids were chewing their wax lips or gum, I was busy shaping mine into tiny herds of Arabian horses. At four, my father took me to see Man ‘O War, the immortal race horse – a still vivid memory. As I touched his nose, my life began taking a turn. Horses were the objects of my imagination. But I was a city girl and they became real to me through drawing – first with crayons, then moving on to pencil, ink and paint. As I matured, I experimented with different art media: stained glass, fabric art, acrylics, watercolors and finally oil on canvas. Eventually this led to the awakening of my sculpting skills.

Trained in classical sculpture by Teena and Don Haugen, I assisted them in making a life-size mule, sharecropper and young boy, which have been installed at the Georgia Agricultural Centerin Perry, Georgia. I have demonstrated the making of sculpture at the Georgia Heriage Centerand taught a clay patina class at the Abernathy Arts Center. I have also done workshops for beginners in clay and have been in galleries. Currently, I am a member of the Dawson CountyArts Council, The Quinlan Center, The Bascom-Louise Art Center and the National Sculpture Society. I have shown and won variousjuried shows and exhibits.

Inspiration still comes daily from life on our north Georagia farm with my husband, Winn, our three dogs, Wilson, Bailey and Walker and our Arabian horse, Sabik. The love of horses and artis now being passed on to our grandchildren. Hopefully, my work encourages people to use imagination, to feel joy and to smile!

Denae Bennett-Miller

Animal forms have always been the focus of my work. I have grown up around and with animals all of my life. Now in my 50’s I find myself happily settled on the farm, with all of the sculptural forms and personalities close at hand. I have been an exhibiting sculptor for 33 years. While attending the University of New Hampshire, I was given a piece of sheet wax to sculpt. My previous sculpting experience was in clay and I was headed for a degree in Ceramics. Ceramic functional ware was thrown on a wheel and animal was sculpted and placed on the lid. Soon the animals became so much of a focus, they dwarfed the pots. The wax was so amazing to me, so fragile, and yet able to hold it’s shape with the most delicate of forms. I could create forms and utilize the negative space around the forms and between them.

Currently my work is often more subtle. Form, texture, design, and negative space help to tell a story about the spirit and energy of the subject. I often celebrate the animal and seek to capture what I perceive is the essence of their soul, what makes them unique. If the piece is successful, the energy comes through the work. (Sculpture title: Elk)

Kelly Borsheim

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1964, Kelly was raised mostly in Florida before coming to central Texas in 1982. Although she obtained her degree in English and Mathematics, Kelly began her art career in the photographic industry and moved into image preservation in the early 1990s. As her skills progressed, she began to restore images of daguerreotypes that had degraded so much that critical portions were missing. In 1992, she enrolled in a self-paced art school to learn to create, for instance, a missing hand in a photo. Learning to draw led to learning to oil paint, which led to the desire to "push clay around." Once Kelly discovered sculpture, she knew she had found her life's passion. Now a figurative artist in 2- and 3-dimensions, Kelly prefers to create sculpture in stone and bronze, as well as paint in oils or acrylics.

Kelly says, “Art, like mathematics, is simply determining relationships between things. Whether painting from a live model or creating sculptures in stone or bronze, I am interested in the more personal moments of our lives. I love it when people are drawn to one of my works and reach out to touch it, since touch is the most intimate and universal sense we have.”

Kelly is represented by Walden Fine Art in Taos, New Mexico; Bastrop Gallery, Bastrop, Texas; The Crucible Gallery, Norman, Oklahoma; and at the Museo Gilardi, in Forte dei Marmi, Lucca, Italy. Borsheim art works are in collections throughout the United States and in Canada, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom.

(Sculpture title: Reginald)

David Bowman

David Bowman’s artistic career began at the age of four when his mother gave him his first package of clay.  He was fascinated by toy soldiers and had a vast collection of plastic and metal figures.  David recalls, “how liberating it felt to know that whatever I didn’t have, I could make and I became very adept at recreating a gun, hat, horse, or whatever else I felt was needed.”  Growing up in Northern Virginia and Maryland, David became fascinated by the rich sense of history in the area – especially those events and concepts that have a decisive influence on the present.   

As an adult, David has been irresistibly pulled back toward the medium of his childhood, and he noticed that much of the history that he valued was not depicted in bronze sculpture.  His current work reflects a series of realistic and authentic Native American figures that begins with the tribes from the Eastern United States.  The Eastern tribes influenced our language and democratic form of government, but are not as well known as the Western tribes, due to their defeat almost 75 years before the advent of modern photography.

David is passionate about creating artwork that reminds us of how important the physical land was to these tribes. When designing the bases for his sculptures, he takes extra care to combine authentic wood and stone that comes from the area where each tribe lived. Researching, acquiring, and finishing the materials for these bases has been a very challenging, but very rewarding education. David says, “I strongly feel that good art makes a person wish to look upon it again and again, while the best art inspires us to become better individuals.”

(Sculpture title: Cherokee)

David Brass

Born in Oyster Bay, New York, David Seth Brass is a direct stone sculptor.  He creates human, spiritual and nature inspired figurative works that is both exciting and compelling. One of David’s first experiences at selling his artwork was when, at a patron party, a collector from the Northeast rushed up to his exhibit, held his hand in the air, and had a staff member complete the transaction for two pieces before David even had the opportunity to introduce himself to the collector. 

David has been invited to a group exhibition of 50 contemporary stone sculptors from 20 nations to be held in South Korea later this year. His work was included in the National Sculpture Society’s 73rd Annual Awards Exhibition located at Brookgreen Garden’s within the last several months. David’s sculpture is found in public and private collections throughout the U.S., and in Mexico, Turkey, Israel, Venezuela, Belgium and Sweden. An Associate of the National Sculpture Society, he is also a Signature Member of the Worldwide Nature Artist’s Group and a regular contributing writer for the international sculpture magazine, Sculptural Pursuit.

David says, “For every stone sculpture I have ever created, I reach a point in the carving process which I refer to as ‘hitting the wall.’  This is an early point of frustration in which the idea is completely clear within my mind, but my hammer and chisel cannot release the image from the stone in a quick manner; this is simply the reality of working in stone.  Eventually the stone and I reach a point of mutual collaboration and this is a time of elation for me in which I usually emerge from my studio, covered in dust, to locate my wife Karen, to tell her the good news.”

(Sculpture title: Angel in the Sun)

Delbert Brewster

Delbert Brewster has always had a natural inclination to sculpt.  Growing up on a ranch in central Texas, he was taught to carve by his dad because he wanted to make his own whistle.  Delbert carved on wood, stone, cow horn and antler because that was what was available on the ranch.  Some of his high school friends still have items that he carved for them. 

Delbert holds a Bachelor’s degree in art education and a Master’s degree in studio art.  In college, sculpting was his favorite medium.  One professor noted that Delbert made monumental miniatures because he liked to sculpt things that he could hold in his lap.  He taught art in the public schools for thirty years while honing his sculpting and designing skills.

All of Delbert’s pieces are one-of-a-kind.  Most of his work is stylized and engages the viewer’s imagination.  For that reason, Delbert leaves many of his pieces unnamed.  Once he created an eight foot sculpture of a robed figure for a patron who chose to call it “The Guardian.”  Another collector saw the photo and wanted a piece similar to it, because to him, it looked like a flame.  Delbert feels that his art is appreciated best not only by visual awareness, but tactile exploration as well.  Each piece has a singular feel because at different times and places, he finishes the stone differently – from polishing to a high gloss to leaving the natural texture.  Each collector who owns a piece of Delbert’s sculpture has a personal piece of the artist.

(Sculpture title: Bear)

Karen Brodie

I am a hard core stone addict! A second generation stone carver. When I create a sculpture I dream about the stone and then remove everything that wasn't in the dream. I love the whole process of working with the stone, from design to sculpting through to the polishing and finishing. Hope you enjoy my creations as much as I enjoy creating them.

I come from Toronto Ontario Canada, and now live on a small farm centrally located exactly in the middle of nowhere.The peace and quiet is conducive to the creative process. Beautiful nature is constantly a source of inspiration. I work in a small studio and am always alluring in my hat, full face mask, shop coat and a thick layer of stone dust.

As a Canadian, born and raised second-generation sculptor and artist, my love and passion for art is conveyed through stone. I feel that my work showcases a wide range of artistic skills and eclectic styles that mimics the multicultural and diverse land I call home.

My sculptures are thought provoking and original. I find the ability to relate my vision in the sculpture through the spirit inherent in he rock. From figurative nudes to mythical creatures, my creativity crosses a large range of genres. 

I am a contemporary realism sculptor, as well as a classical artist: that is, the figures I sculpt are depicted in action. I explore the dichotomy between the freedom of movement in the pieces I create and the rigid physical nature of the rock. I find such ease of movement in my creations by my method of ‘direct carving’. By not using a model, the ‘imperfection’ or characteristics of the stone play a part in the vision and the meaning behind my sculptures.

Each stone is carefully chosen so my vision compliments the stone’s personality; I work with the stone, as opposed to forcing the stone to work with me. I steer away from the usual and craft sculptures different from anything ever seen. I love to bring out sensations and awareness with each piece. The sculptures I create allow a person to journey down the path of evoked emotions, letting themselves become immersed in the sculpture with their whole being.

I have seen a long standing presents of “shock art” depicting strong political and religious views and other repetitive themes. I create works that take you away from the “norm” and into a world of thought provoking sculptures of great beauty and originality that showcase the splendour inherent in the stones I work.

If nothing else, I want my portfolio of my work to demonstrate that I really love what I do, and it is my wish that this is manifested in each sculpture I produce.

Stone is my life and my passion!

(Sculpture title: After Meditation)

Reno Carollo

Sculptor and Goldsmith Reno Carollo has lived and created his art in Colorado his whole life.  When he was a child, his parents instilled in him a love of learning and adventure that he maintains to this day.  Growing up, Reno traveled the world with his family, visiting Europe, Asia, North Africa, Mexico and Central America.  Reno attended the University of Northern Colorado where he received his B.A. in Fine Arts Education. As a student, he participated in an exchange program that took him to Florence, Italy and the Academy of Fine Arts.  It was there that he discovered his passion and gift for carving stone.

After college, Reno taught art in the Denver Public Schools for two years.  He apprenticed with renowned sculptor Elaine Calzolari and goldsmith Ken Nelson, and opened a retail jewelry gallery in the Old South Gaylord Business District in Denver.  Reno’s jewelry has appeared in art shows across the country, including the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver and several American Craft Council shows.  Reno began carving marble seriously in 1989 when he joined fellow sculptor Madeline Weiner at her Purple Door Studio in Denver.  He studied with Madeline at several MARBLE/Marble symposiums, and spent a summer carving in Pietrasanta, Italy.

In addition to his work as an artist, Reno has served as the President of the Old South Gaylord Merchants Association, as a board member of the Colorado Metalsmith Association (COMA), and as a founding member of Celebrate Colorado Artists, a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the cause of fine arts in Colorado through education and an art fair featuring Colorado artists.

(Sculpture title: Tenderness)

Susie Chisholm

Born and raised in Savannah, Susie Chisholm grew up in a home that valued artistic expression. Susie’s architect father and interior designer mother encouraged her natural aptitude through private art instruction, and she then majored in Graphic Design at the University of Georgia.  Over the years, her talents and training led her into a wide variety of projects that included designing paper bags for a paper company, creating billboard designs, and finally, designing and building exhibits for the Savannah Science Museum.

In 1996, the path of her artistic career took an abrupt turn. An ad in the Savannah newspaper for a portrait sculpture class caught her eye. She had always loved sculpture and had grown up visiting Brookgreen Gardens every summer with her grandparents.  After attending only three classes, she was hooked, and checked out every book on sculpture in the Savannah library, learning everything she could about this new medium. Immersing herself in as many aspects of sculpture as possible, she also sought out experts across the country willing to share their expertise with fledgling sculptors. Susie has studied with Teena Stern, Don Haugen, Bruno Lucchesi, Jerry Cox, Tuck Langland, and David Klass at Brookgreen Gardens. She also was accepted into a University of Georgia program in 1997, in which she went to Cortina, Italy, to study sculpture and bronze casting.     

Susie’s talent is in demand throughout the United States for creating public sculpture and commissioned portraiture.  Her life-size bronze “The Garden” was installed in April 2007 as the seventeenth piece of sculpture for Summerville’s permanent collection.

(Sculpture title: The Garden)

Glo Coalson

Glo Coalson is a Texas native who grew up in a western landscape of prickly pear, mesquite trees, and wind. Immersed in nature, she developed a love for the land, her ancestors, and the animals that roam the wild country.

After graduation from college, she answered adventure’s call and lived for two years in a small Arctic Eskimo village, Kotzebue, Alaska. Fascinated by Eskimo culture, she made many drawings and paintings of villagers and village life in the Arctic. While there, she heard and recorded folklore and stories of the native people. In 1971 Coalson exhibited her artwork in a one person show at the Anchorage Museum of Fine Art. Coalson left Alaska for New York City to write and illustrate children’s books, some of them based on Eskimo themes. Over the next ten years, she illustrated thirty five books for children.
While living in New York. Coalson studied clay at Columbia University. After moving to Texas, she began making clay sculptures of birds. She became nationally recognized by her distinctive bird sculptures fired in the delicate art of Raku.

Coalson makes her home in Texas and continues to pursue dual carets in illustration sand sculpture. “Since I’ve been coming to South Carolina, I’ve become interested in early American history of the Low Country. Some of my work reflects that interest in bringing to image some of the unrecognized people who lived, worked and died here.

(Sculpture title: Untitled)

Sharon Collings-Licata

Well-educated in the arts, Sharon earned a BA from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia before obtaining a Masters from the University of South Carolina. Still searching for more, she has taken numerous courses at Arrowmont School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, determined to increase her knowledge and skill.

Working in a variety of media including clay, stone and formed stone, she is a sculptor of both realistic and abstract forms. Sharon’s sculptures can be found in numerous personal collections and she has shown in many parts of the country. A member of the Tri-State Sculpture Educational Association, she has exhibited with that organization since 1993 and is a juried exhibitor at the South Carolina Artisan Center, in addition to her gallery representations. She states, “To me, ‘art’ is a verb. I always find myself returning to a sense of motion in my sculpture. The act of creating is what’s important, but the craftsmanship in finishing is what gives the ability to return to, and share the art.”

She has been artist/owner of Terra Firma in Columbia since 1984. Her studio is located in the historic Congaree Vista in Columbia, as part of the "Vista Studios" artists' group. When not in the studio, she can usually be found teaching across South Carolina as a “Visiting Artist” for the South Carolina Arts Commission.

Sharon was selected for the “Artist-in-Residence” program in Dorchester District II Schools, and taught at both Fort Dorchester and Summerville High Schools during the 2004-2005 academic year.  The students’ stone sculpture was exhibited – and admired – during the 2005 Sculpture in the South Exhibit and Sale.

(Sculpture title: Through the Veil)

Joe Collins

A native of West Virginia, Collins received his masters in fine arts from Duke University. He has had a lifelong affinity for creating three-dimensional work, in both wood and bronze. “I have an innate urge to create. The entire process from envisioning a sculpture, to doing the research and the technical planning, to the actual creation of the subject and completing the bronze is a compelling endeavor. Creating a work of art is very demanding, at times frustrating and sometimes all consuming; but the urge to create makes it not work at all, but a soul-satisfying need that brings with it joy and pleasure. Creativity is a gift from God. It is a selfish person who chooses not to share a God-given gift. My satisfaction comes from creating a work of art that evokes a response in the soul of the viewer. The soul, after all, must be nurtured as well as the body.”

Collins has participated in numerous juried shows and demonstrations, including Charleston, SC Museum, Lynchburg, VA Academy of Fine Arts, Oklahoma Art Guild, Oklahoma City, OK Breckenridge Fine Arts Center, Breckenridge, TX, Loveland Invitational Show & Sale, Loveland, CO, Sculpture in the South, Summerville, SC, and Brookgreen Gardens, Pawley’s Island, SC.

(Sculpture title: On the Wings of the Wind)

Alyse Lucas Corcoran

One glimpse of "Spirit," the signature piece selected to symbolize the National Museum of Women's History, and you know you must meet this artist who has entwined strength, fragility and grace into a remarkable representation of Woman. Her sculpture possesses immediately-recognizable classical beauty and line. Even her Lowcountry Series featuring coastal icons like the "Flower Lady" and "The Shrimper Man" (not usually considered classical subject matter) demonstrate the grace inherent in her work and her innate respect for her subjects.

The riveting power of her images is all the more amazing when you discover that she has only turned to sculpture during the last four years, after many years in a high-profile public life which included founding and directing the Economic and Industrial Development Department for the City of Atlanta and being a member of President Jimmy Carter's White House staff.

The event that abruptly detoured her from that career path and back to the sculpture she studied at Rollins College was her encounter with breast cancer. Once when she was asked if having cancer tore her life apart, her response was, "No, having cancer put my life together ." It made her change her perspective toward life, and literally allowed her to shape her thoughts. "Everything I sculpt starts with an issue about which I feel strongly . . . I wrap and define these ideas in clay. I do not design what I write or sculpt. I simply translate a vision as it is given to me."

(Sculpture title: Spirit)

BJ Coughlin

The focus of BJ's sculpture is in the grace of the human figure whether in repose or involved in a day to day activity. Her inspiration comes from an observed gesture or the dignity of a figure at work or the simple beauty of the human form. The majority of her work is classic figurative and portraiture, although she is equally comfortable capturing the images and activities of birds and animals.

BJ's studies in the art field began as an art major in college. For the last five years she has worked with renowned master sculptors to study different techniques and interpretations of the sculptural art form. Her intentions are to continue observing and interpreting the human figure at work and at play, and to forever pursue personal development of her art through study, observation and interaction with other artists.

BJ regularly participates in art shows. Her work has been juried into regional and national shows where she has consistently placed in awards categories. Her work is currently available at The Redstone Gallery, Park City, Utah, The Garden of the Dragonfly Gallery, Spring, Texas, Avery Fine Arts, Atlanta, Georgia. Her work is also held in private collections.

(Sculpture title: Heron II)

K.E. Crain

An award-winning sculptor, K.E. Crain has studied with distinguished sculptors such as Eugene Daub, Stanley Blifield, Kirsten Kokkin and Gerald Balciar. Her focus is one figurative sculpture, which has earned awards including the “Best and Brightest” award for sculpture at the Scottsdale Artists’ School in Arizona and a Silver Medal for Sculpture at New York’s Allied Artists of America Exhibition in 1998.

She considers herself “a poet, storyteller and songwriter,” whose medium is physical rather than oral. Although her inspiration for a piece can come from disparate sources, her works clearly are created with her emotional involvement. Whether a song or a family photograph triggers an idea, or a model comes into the studio wearing an emotion that is transferred, the result is that her works are not merely static renditions, but imbued with feeling and a story that seems to lie just below the surface.

Her works have been selected for public placement in Littleton, Colorado’s Bemis Public Library and the Keller Public Library in Texas, as well as Fox Hollow Golf Course and Centura Health Medical Office Buildings in Pueblo and Highlands Ranch in Colorado.“

Everyday we all experience a complex mix of emotions and I try to bring these out in my work by telling a story that is unique to each viewer… My art is very personal to me, and I want people who see my work to interact with piece on their own terms, so they can decide for themselves what the piece means to them.”

(Sculpture title: Letter From Home)

Darrell Davis

Born and raised in West Texas, Darrell Davis was an only child whose closest friends were animals.  His interest in sculpture was sparked when as a teenager he visited Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum and discovered the huge collection of Remington and Russell sculpture.  A trip to Brookgreen Gardens soon after solidified his fascination. “I remember seeing the big aluminum horses out front [of the garden] and thinking they were pretty incredible,” he says. “It took me longer to walk around than anyone else - I knew that's what I wanted to do.”

While studying for his fine art degree from the University of Texas-Arlington, Darrell worked in a local foundry, learning the casting process.  He continued to pursue graduate studies in landscape architecture, which is one of the reasons his sculpture works so well in outdoor settings. “All the old sculptors were also architects,” he says. “We studied architecture and sculptors, and I learned a great deal about design and composition in those classes.”  Darrell now immerses himself in the art that he loves, and challenges himself to create pieces that show the viewer something they've never seen before - a different perspective for even familiar subjects.

Darrell’s numerous commissions are found in cities throughout the United States. Among them are Keller, Texas; Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago; Frisco, Texas; Benson Sculpture Garden, Loveland, Colorado; and the Dallas Zoo – a sixty-three piece life-size wildlife sculpture from mice to wallabies. Darrell’s “Heron and the Sun” was a 2005 acquisition for Summerville's public sculpture program.

Recent national exhibitions include The Tallix Prize at the National Sculpture Society 72nd Annual Exhibition (2005-2006), Society of Animal Artists Annual Exhibition (2005), Art and The Animal Tour (2006), National Geographic Society Exhibition (2005-2006), and the 2004 Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum – “Birds in Art.”

(Sculpture title: Yesterday)

Mick Doellinger

As a boy, Mick Doellinger was first exposed to art through meeting Australian figurative sculptor William Ricketts.  The sculptor gave the boy some potter’s clay and suggestions, and fired Mick’s first crude pieces.  It was not until many years later that Mick tried his hand at sculpting professionally. 

Australia’s vast primitive landscape and abundant wildlife afforded young Doellinger continuous exposure to nature.  From the indigenous kangaroos to the herds of wild brumbies that roamed the Outback, he was inspired by all that surrounded him.  At fifteen, he started working on a thoroughbred training complex riding young horses.  Drawn to everything equestrian, he began steer wrestling and traveled to compete in rodeos throughout the Outback. 

While competing in Californian rodeos during the late 1970's, Doellinger became side-tracked when he met a couple of taxidermists and was fascinated by the craft.  Absorbing everything that he could about creating three-dimensional representations of wildlife, Mick practiced taxidermy part-time in Australia between working in remote areas commercially hunting buffalo and wild cattle. 

Years of guiding trophy deer hunters around the South Pacific and boning out buffalo and cattle on commercial hunts gave him an in-depth understanding of anatomy.  While in taxidermy Mick’s goal was to create the most lifelike forms as possible, sculpture allowed art to surpass science, giving him the freedom to create in a much looser style.  Doellinger found a ready market for bronzes in foreign sportsmen who came to Australia and New Zealand and is represented in the United States by galleries in Dallas and Santa Fe.

(Sculpture title: Range War)

Mary Ellen Dohrs

There is nothing static about this lively artist. MaryEllen Dohrs has forged her own path in the art world and has evolved as a sculptor from a decidedly eclectic educational background.

She says the strength of her terra cotta sculpture is in the "energy expressed," and no one who has seen her works could dispute that statement. Most of her works are "going somewhere" – and with pizzazz. A glimpse of In the Mood (with the cheek-to-cheek couple stepping out briskly and the girl’s swirling skirts revealing ruffled panties) takes you right to the jitterbug era of the forties, whether that was "before your time," or not. She values freedom of movement, freshness and active gestures in her sculpture, and somehow manages to create them with minimal support and without the use of armatures.

It is probable that her education at the Pratt Institute, studying Industrial Design, provided her with the engineering know-how to master those technical problems. But discovering that she was the first female designer of production and show cars at General Motors may tell you even more. Add to that the fact that she is also an inventor, holding the patent on the design concept of the poultry roasting rack, "For the Birds," unfolds more of the eclectic creativity that drives her.

Sports figures are not usually the most common themes for sculptors, but MaryEllen’s basketball players battling for ball possession in "The Wall," will have you hearing the crowd chanting, "Defense! Defense! Defense!"

Even her wildlife images can’t quite sit still, with one of her "Barred Owls" looking alarmed and ready for flight, and the other menacingly ready to take on any intruder. After you experience her sculpture, you’ll easily understand why the course selected for her to teach at West Palm Beach’s Armory Art Center is "Dynamic Sculpture."

(Sculpture title: The Wall)

Matt Donovan

Matt Donovan would like to claim that he has always been an artist, but the truth is that his much-loved silly putty was abandoned when he was a kid for what he thought were more worldly pursuits. After college, Donovan was temporarily distracted by a 20-year career as a research biologist. During that time, he spent a considerable amount of his spare time hiking the woods and deriving inspiration from the forms of nature.

In 2003, Donovan had the opportunity to explore a different path. He's currently enjoying refocusing his creative energy in an entirely new dimension. "I guess it's three dimensions. I'm looking forward to the continuing adventure of seeking to capture the elusive essence and expression of a variety of subjects. After the next twenty years of intensive study, observation and introspection, maybe I will even acquire the sensitivity to write a song - then again, maybe not."

(Sculpture title: Last Look Back)

Tom Durham

It is no surprise to learn that Tom Durham's desire to pursue a career in bronze sculpture came as a result of his seeing Michelangelo's "Pieta" as a child. His propensity for classical themes is evident in nearly all of his works, with a strong influence from Hellenistic Greek sculpture seen in his expressionistic figurative pieces. If you fell in love with sculpture in Florence and Rome, you'll feel an instant kinship with Tom's work.

But all of his sculpture is not devoted strictly to classical beauty. He's stepped into the surreal in many of his works, with wonderfully surprising pieces combining a classical torso with an animal body, suggesting mythological stories from the past. Some of his newer works incorporate architectural settings, inspired by Charleston's historic homes, gates and gardens. His captivating life-size cherubs have inspired numerous parents to commission him to capture their child's all-too-fleeting cherubic stage.

Always experimenting and evolving, he has exhibited widely in galleries and museums from New York to California, including the Minneapolis Museum of Art and the Caboose Gallery in Connecticut. His works are in public and private collections across the country.

(Sculpture title: untitled)

Stephen Fabrico

Stephen Fabrico became a potter and an artist almost by accident. While attending college in the early 1970’s, he happened to walk by the ceramic room on campus. His interest was aroused. Before he could sign up for a basic ceramics course, he was already watching students at work with clay and began making his own first attempts. Stephen was hooked, and within five years he had earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the State University of New York, New Paltz. Stephen says the ability to create new designs, style and forms keeps him excited about his work. “After 30 years of making pots and sculpture I still can’t wait to get to my studio every day to work and explore new ideas.”

Stephen likes the use of hard edged forms with organic imagery in stacked format to create large scale totems. His body of work has evolved over the last number of years because of his interest in abstract art, gardens and love of working with clay. His unique artwork has received recognition and honors when exhibited in juried sculpture and ceramics shows. Sculpture created by Stephen can be found in collections at Pensacola Junior College (Florida), the Newark Museum (New Jersey), The Pew Charitable Trust (Philadelphia), San Angelo Museum (Texas), and the Mint Museum (Charlotte, North Carolina).

(Sculpture title: Untitled)

Allen Ferg

Ferg was raised in a family professionally schooled and trained in the fine arts. Over those formative years, he absorbed some of his parents’ and grandparents’ knowledge and appreciation of classical figurative art.

After college and four years in the Marines, with the privilege of leading a platoon of Marines in Vietnam in 1967-68, he opted for law school instead of following a career in art.

“Fine art has always been in my history and background. Over the years, I have been graciously mentored by other sculptors and am indebted to them for their constant encouragement and generous advice.”

When his family and he moved to Georgia in 2005, he had the opportunity to build his own studio where he now works and, on occasion, teaches.  “I concentrate on portraits and figurative sculpture working in clay and bronze. I have been, and continue to be, heavily influenced by my history and by the beauty and grace of the human form, as well as the classic sculptural forms that have endured over time.”

(Sculpture title: Hand of Maestro)