Sculpture by Roane

Having grown up in the West, cougars have always been a fascination for me. Maybe it was because they were quiet, stealthy and powerful. Maybe it is because of their grace and beauty that I continue to find the mountain lion so interesting. About six months before I changed careers and took up sculpture I had a most vivid dream about a black panther (black panthers are simply rare cougars colored black like an albino is colored white). This panther turned to a brown color half way through the dream and escaped its confinement in our old Montana barn. The panther symbolized my new artistic career – about to escape its years of confinement. Since then I have done a large charcoal drawing of myself as the sculptor following a cougar into the future. Perhaps if I had been born into a primitive culture, the cougar would have been my "sign."

Certainly, like the bald eagle and the bison, the cougar is a symbol of America, or least Western America where the cougar as art is very popular—except with ranchers, of course. One of my high school classmates in Montana is having trouble with cougars attacking his horses. None the less, the mountain lion’s beauty, grace and power make it not only the subject of much art, but the subject of much interest by many Americans. I hope this piece captures a bit of that beauty, grace and power, perhaps even a bit of its majesty. While the African Lion is known as "The King of the Beasts," the American lion is still one to be reckoned with.

"Watching and Ready, Cougar on the Rock," Bronze, 7 inches high x 9 1/2 " x 4."
Signed and Numbered Limited Edition of 375.

"Checking it Out," Bronze, 5 1/2 inches high x 9 1/2"x 4."
Signed and Numbered Limited Edition of 375.

"On the Prowl," clay maquette, 6 1/2 inches high x 8 1/2" x4."
At this stage our cougar is still in the studio waiting to be shipped off to the foundry. But it will also be a signed and limited edition of 375.

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