“Marian Shrine”, Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville, MN
Life-size bronze statue, Hand made 33″ stucco base, 15′ wide triptych with plaster bas-reliefs, bronze roses, stained glass, and painted wood frame
Detail of Mary in clay
9 1/2 foot tall bronze statue atop 6 1/2′ marble pedestal
64″ tall bronze fountain
In 2016 I was inspired to create a Virgin of Guadalupe sculpture that would be more compelling and realistic than that produced in the past; a new vision which respects the 1531 AD appearance. God and His emissaries are spirit, forming bodies for our benefit and in ways that can be understood at each epoch of appearance. With that in mind, I took tasteful liberties to bring Mary’s American manifestation to the modern era. The biggest challenge was depicting the rays of light emanating from her. Being literal to the 16th century image has resulted in sculptures showing these either as spikes, or as a solid aura that looks like a shell. Neither is satisfactory. But how to show them as pulsating, living light rays while being true to standards of fine art? My solution was to combine the sculpting of bronze forms of rays in various lengths to imply motion, along with the incorporation of crystals that would capture and reflect sunlight and changing light conditions. As far as I know, this concept is entirely original. My 31″ tall study model in clay and crystal was made in the hope that it will be commissioned as a life-size or other size bronze sculpture to present the vision of the Virgin of Guadalupe as fine art and able to strike a responsive chord in our current era.
Bronze, 17 ” tall
Bronze, 4′-10″ tall, from the half-size study for the Cathedral of Saint Paul
“Buddha” clay, 14″ tall…………………………………………”The Divine Mother”, bronze, 9″ tall
“Lady Portia, Goddess of Justice”, bronze fountain, life-size, Maplewood, MN, 1987…my first sculpture and the life-changing moment of career transition from architectural designer to sculptor and artist. (photo by Dave Hrbacek)
“Release” , clay 17″ tall
Clay studies: “The Muse of Dance, 17″……”The Muse of Poetry”, 14″……”The Muse of Tragedy”, 18″
“Maximus Ursus”, Bronze, 16″, for Beast Coins…”Eat Your Vegetables”, bronze and granite, 8.5″ bird wingspan, for a Minnesota garden…”Japanese Sage”, Limestone, 18″ tall, for a Japanese garden with tea house, Minneapolis, MN
