Sculpture by Roane

5 inches.

This pair of African lionesses was an "accident." I had originally planned to do a large walnut sculpture of an African lioness. Something I saw once in National Geographic, I think, kept gnawing away at me. So I got the clay out to do a clay sketch (I seldom do a drawing in paper first – it just doesn’t work for me). If I am sculpting, I must think three dimensionally and sketch that way too. And as is usually the case, when I put clay in my hands, "it happens." Of course, if one is planning to invest many many hours of hard labor in a large wood piece, the sculptor is wise to do a series of maquettes first. When I did the second one I set it down beside the first one, and there it was, Ying and Yang! So I quit. I liked the pair the way they were. I never did do the large walnut sculpture, but would accept a commission for a larger bronze.

Some people have suggested that the sculptural pair look like dogs, perhaps Great Danes. I don’t care. As with all art, it’s what you see in it that makes it art for you.

Return to the Gallery