Save the Tiger
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Sculpture by
Ellen Woodbury
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Dolomitic Limestone
on Granite
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14 x 13 x 9 inches.
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Completed January, 2010
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This is another sculpture in my series on endangered species. February, 2010, marked the beginning of the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese calendar. This has created a demand for tiger skins and tiger parts, and the killing of tigers in the wild has increased as a result of this demand. 10 % of the proceeds from the sale of "Save the Tiger" will be donated to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation to help save the rapidly decreasing wild populations of tigers. It is tragic that the extinction of tigers could happen in our lifetime, and I want to do what I can to keep them part of our world.
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The design for "Save the Tiger" was an interesting challenge for me. Usually I design my sculptures first as drawings, then make a clay maquette if the design is complicated with twists and body parts overlapping. I began the tiger with a drawing, then went to clay, but was disappointed with the 3-D realization of the drawing. I made many different versions of the clay maquette until finally finding this design. The tiger is ambiguous--is he emerging from the stone or being engulfed by the stone? The sculpture stands as a metaphor. Will the tiger survive human predation or be lost forever?
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The stone is Dolomitic Limestone, quarried in Ontario, Canada. It is a hard limestone, a rich milk chocolate brown with thin black stripes and few vugs. The hardness comes from magnesium sulfate (I think) which has invaded and replaced some of the limestone. It carves beautifully. The stone was really fun to carve as it is the stone of choice of one of my mentors, Madeline Wiener. She and her crew are making gigantic sculptures from this stone at our shared studio-warehouse space in Denver. It is a beautiful stone when finished, and I was very curious to have the experience of carving it because I work in the presence of many wonderful, enormous "Bench People" made by Madeline from this delicious-looking stone.
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This has been an exciting year for me so far. I have a show now at the Loveland Museum which runs through April 11, 2010, of my stone sculpture, pastel drawings, and scenes of my animation from "The Lion King," "Aladdin," and "Hercules." The Opening Reception is this Friday, March 12. I will be presenting a talk from 5 to 6 pm on the similarities I have found between animation principles and my work in stone sculpture. A reception follows from 6 to 8 pm.
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I am currently working on a loon, a beautifully-spotted bird that makes an elegant sculptural statement all on its own. The stone is Mongolian Imperial Black marble, the same stone I used for the platypus, "Nature's Paradox." Incidentally, the platypus sculpture is included in my show at the Loveland Museum--the only time it will be shown to the public.(!) I hope you have a chance to stop by.
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Have a great spring!
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Text and photo copyright 2010 by Ellen Woodbury.
Photo by Mel Schockner.