Sculpture by Roane

Driving Force II

Driving Force II, laminated walnut, 17 inches high by 34 inches long. Private collection of John and Mary Kay Thurson.

The American Bison has held a fascination for many of us ever since early pioneers encountered it on the Great Plains. It could easily have been chosen as America's national symbol. Its size and speed made it a driving force, whether in the famed great herds that thundered across the prairie or in the lone bull ready to take on all comers. As a youngster who grew up on the high rolling plains of Eastern Montana, I collected skulls from these mighty beasts. Even an entire skeleton once. We dug them out of cutbanks and coulees as well as the canyons of nearby badlands. As children, we sometimes played in old "buffalo wallows," now grassed in, that had once been used by the beasts as dust basins to roll around in for insect control. I wanted to create a running, turning, "driving force" portrait of this wonderful animal instead of the typical stilted "wooden nickel" buffalo.

This dynamic sculpture has gotten a very enthusiastic response at shows and was awarded first place for "Stylized Animal" at the 2001 International Woodcarvers' Congress.

This close-up shows how the sculpting of the cape accentuates movement.

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