Sculptures
Sculpture Highlights at the Quarter Circle A
Starting in the decorative gardens on the lawn of the historic Ranch House is the bronze sculpture, “Birds of a Feather”, created to sit atop a replica of an Italian marble fountain that once stood in the same place. Wyoming artist Gerald Anthony Shippen designed this piece as well as a second sculpture of “Birds of a Feather” done in color which is on permanent display in the entryway of the Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Building. This latter work sits on top of the original marble fountain. Both of these Shippen sculptures were gifts of the Wallick Family Foundation.
Just west of the steps leading to the entrance of the Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Building, is a flock of five highly realistic bronze turkeys that include a tom (or gobbler), hen and chicks. This outdoor bronze grouping was also created by artist Gerald Shippen and is gift of Jaqueline Mars. Turkeys in plentiful numbers are a common sight on The Brinton grounds throughout the seasons.
The impressive “Sentinel of the Plains” stands at the main entrance to the Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Building. This iconic figure of an American Indian man is tall and resolute; he is looking toward the majestic Bighorn Mountains which were once the home and hunting grounds of North American Indian peoples of the Plains. This work pays tribute to the strength of character and endurance of Native peoples everywhere. In the words of the artist, “Reminiscent of rock carvings and paintings, images dance across the sculpture’s surface: teepees spread out over the grassy plains; equestrian warriors and stampeding bison foretell the rise of the Plains Buffalo Culture.” Shippen completed this work in 2016. “Sentinel of the Plains” was a gift of Jacomien W. Mars in loving memory of her husband, Forrest E. Mars, Jr.
About the Artist
Gerald Shippen
A resident of Cody, Wyoming, Gerald Shippen (1955 -) is a longtime sculptor and recipient of numerous commissions and awards. He was born in Lander, Wyoming in 1955 and grew up on a ranch where he created sculptures as a child from clay out of a nearby streambed. He holds dual citizenship in the USA and New Zealand, his mother’s native country. He studied art and sculpture in Carrara, Italy 1976-77, apprenticing in the lost wax process and went on to receive a MFA at the University of Wyoming in 1984. He works in bronze, in the tradition of many Western artists, and specializes in the depiction of American Indian life and wildlife, drawing from his youth in the Wind River Valley. His work has been included in numerous gallery exhibitions and is held in collections worldwide.
Located in the Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Building’s reception area are two sculptures by Oreland C. Joe, Sr. and Jeffrey Burnham Rudolph.
“Choke Cherry Harvest Along the Pine River”, carved from Italian marble, was created by world-renowned, Native American artist Orland C. Joe, Sr. from Kirkland, New Mexico. This work was completed in 2016 and depicts a Southern Ute Woman wearing an Elk tooth dress and wrapped in a blanket. A basket of cherries sits on the ground by her left foot. This piece was purchased by The Brinton Museum from the “2016 Cowboy Artists of America 51st Annual Exhibition” at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum with proceeds from The Brinton Museum’s 2016 Gala.
About the Artist
Oreland C. Joe, Sr.
Award-winning artist Oreland Joe, was born in Shiprock, New Mexico in 1958 and is of Dine’ (Navajo) and Ute descent. He is known for his stone and bronze sculptures. His works in stone are mainly marble, alabaster and limestone. In 1993, he was the first American Indian artist to be admitted into the esteemed Cowboy Artists of America. He is a founding member of the Indigenous Sculpture Society, started in 2000 to promote and support American Indian stone sculptors. His works can be found in private, corporate, and museum collections in the United States and abroad. He was commissioned by the Ponca City Native American Foundation in 1996 to create a twenty-two-foot bronze sculpture of “Chief Standing Bear“. While traveling in Europe and Japan, Joe studied the techniques of sculpting in other cultures. He is inspired by the art and history of the European masters such as Bernini, Canova and Michelangelo. He also draws inspiration from researching American Indian lifestyles, songs and dances of the 1820s-1920s. He is influenced by his artistic family, silversmith father and musically talented mother and their cultural history.
“Catamount”, bronze, by Wyoming artist Jeffrey Burnham Rudolph depicts a mountain lion sitting on a jagged rock. This piece was acquired through The Brinton Museum’s Acquisitions Fund.
About the Artist
Jeffrey Burnham Rudolph
Jeffrey Rudolph was born in Cody, Wyoming in 1956 where he lives and maintains an art studio. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University in 1981. Jeff is the recipient of several awards and public commissions and has been represented in numerous juried and invitational exhibitions, including the Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne in 2005, 2006 and 2007; Hudson River Valley Show at the Salmagundi Club in New York City in 2014; and has shown at the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale every year since 1995. In addition to the Spirit of Cody monument commission, he has monuments in Cincinnati, OH; Golden, CO; and Victorville, CA. Jeffrey was an artist in residence in the Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, WY, in 2015 and is the recipient of the William E. Weiss Purchase Award and two Wyoming State Historical awards in the field of fine arts. He works in a variety of mediums including bronze, stone, wood, terracotta, and paper.
“In the Stretch”, bronze, by Wyoming artist Bunny Smyth Connell from Big Horn depicts the remarkable moment of a foal’s first step in life when the animal stretches out its leg after having up righted itself. This piece is on display in Jane’s Garden in the lawn and gardens located near the Milk House, Saddle and Carriage Barns and the Bunkhouse. Loan: Courtesy of the artist.
About the Artist
Bunny Connell
The Hunt for the Horned Toad
“The Hunt for the Horned Toad”, by artist Tony Hochstetler, is an interactive scavenger hunt comprised of ten bronze sculptures of a Horned Toad. Nine of the sculptures are located on the Quarter Circle Ă Ranch grounds. The tenth is located in front of the WYO Theatre in downtown Sheridan, Wyoming. A family-fun map created by artist John Potter of where the toads are located is available at the Information Desk in the Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Building.
The Horned Toad is Wyoming’s state reptile. Small and shy reptiles, they prefer dry, sunny areas. Interestingly, the Horned Toad is not really a toad but a lizard. Its broad and squat stance, blocky head, and spikey protrusions led to the name. The Horned Toad sculptures by Tony Hochstetler are of a variety of horned toad that is found in Arizona and much larger than actual size. “The Hunt for the Horned Toad” was made possible by a grant from the Kim & Mary Kay Love Fund at the Wyoming Community Foundation and by a generous gift from The Windsor Family.
About the Artists
Tony Hochstetler & John Potter
Award-winning artist Tony Hochstetler from Fort Collins, Colorado, is a member of the Society of Animal Artists, the Northwest Rendezvous Group of Artists and the National Sculpture Society. He is represented in numerous private and public collections and is known for his exquisite, highly-detailed bronze works of reptiles, amphibians, insects and birds as well as botanical pieces. In addition to working in bronze, Hochstetler is an accomplished landscape photographer focusing on scenes in Wyoming and Colorado, in particular. Tony has exhibited at The Brinton Museum in various exhibitions including the institution’s small works shows.
Artist John Potter from Red Lodge, Montana, graduated from Utah State University with a degree in painting and illustration. Also a member of the Northwest Rendezvous Group of Artists, John is the recipient of numerous awards and was the featured artist for The Brinton Museum’s 2017 Illustrator Show featuring original children’s storybook illustrations based on the inquisitive chipmunk Carl. John is the recipient of the 2010 Legacy Award from the Montana Historical Society given during the annual Western Rendezvous Art Show, and he is also the recipient of the Robert Kuhn Award given by the National Museum of Wildlife Art. He is a member of the Salmagundi Club, Society of Animal Artists and a Signature Member of the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters. Both Tony Hochstetler and John Potter are represented in The Brinton’s Museum’s permanent collection of art.