After almost four years of sculpting, Douwe put the finishing touches on the last of eighteen figures. Each figure is life-and-a-quarter scale making them about seven and a half feet tall. He has been dovetailing clay sculpting with assembly and finishing of metal castings as they come from the foundry, but this is the final clay figure to be done. The particular figure represents an aged Vet. Douwe invited his neighbor, “farmer” Don Hutchinson to spend the afternoon modeling in the studio while working on the final facial features. This week, this along with three other clay figures will be transported to the foundry in Oklahoma where they will be molded and cast in metal.
A unique sculpture delivery! /
Always looking for an excuse to fly his homebuilt antique airplane, Douwe crammed his “great sport” wife Marci into the front cockpit along with a sculpture needing delivery. Invited to make a presentation near Louisville, they flew into a local grass airstrip where friends picked them up and brought them to the event where both the presentation was made and the sculpture delivered to the new owner. It was a bit of a tight squeeze for Marci up front but the flight only lasted fifty minutes and it turned out to be a wonderful couple of days together with friends.
A uniquely abstract “Echoes of the Range” installed in Colorado /
Douwe and his team completed installation of a life-sized herd of abstract horses at the Adams County Government Center this June. This was a very exciting opportunity because it allowed Douwe to explore a more “abstract” vision. Not only are the “negative space” horses unique, but the placement and their interaction with the site is extremely innovative. In an effort to integrate both interior and exterior spaces, the herd move from the outer courtyard, through the glass wall and into the lobby.