When I was a very little kid, I remember walking through my grandpa’s ranch, which was just outside of a small town in Wyoming. I found all of these old cow bones scattered across the ground and, to my young self, they were more precious than gold. So beautiful to look at, see and touch. I collected as many as I could, carried them back to my grandparents house (probably in multiple trips, because I had a lot), and reassembled them all over the lawn. I’m am sure that experience played some part in how my interests and aesthetic developed. I was amazed at how perfect those bone shapes flowed and played together.
It didn’t last long though because those bones really disturbed my grandma. She told me I was probably catching all sorts of diseases, and I had to take them back to where I’d found ’em (Haha! Since I was already infected I guess). This is a funny memory, but also a magical one. When I was doing more sculpture I’d often incorporate the old bones I’d find in the desert, or maybe up Logan and Lambs canyon, into my work. I still find bones to be incredibly beautiful.
But I never thought to use them like James Prosek. He takes the bone’s natural shape and plays. I recently came across some photographs of his show at the National Academy of Science in Washington, DC. Fantastic! Prosek is also well known for work involving taxidermy, as well as his paintings of fish and wildlife. In addition, he has some books that I want to get. Like Prosek, I love animals more than pretty much anything. But those bones… wow! I also love them bones!
