Downward Dog (Pewter): a Cast Wax Sketch

This isn’t a Poodle or a Keishound or a Portugese Water Dog or a Swiss Shepherd––it’s a dog. It’s just a dog. And it’s a dog who is ready to play.

Lucky you!

Lucky dog.

This is one of a new series of loose, Expressionistic representations of animals. I call them Cast Wax Sketches, because they started out as quick studies to show to a prospective commission patron who wanted a sculpture of her dog, The commission floated away but I enjoyed the light-hearted, playful way of capturing the essence of dog.

After completing this sculpture and showing it for the first time, numerous people said that this was a perfect rendition of a yoga pose––Downward Dog––as captured by a dog. So I changed its name from “Let’s Play” to this. I am nothing if not responsive to my public.

This is a one-of-a-kind sculpture, pocket sized (the marble base is just 6″ x 4″), hand cast in pewter. A fellow sculptor liked my first wax sketches and recommended that I cast them, and this was the very first. I liked it so much, I made a mold and now hand-cast it in bronze as well. But there is only one in pewter.

Just one.

Not two. Not five.

One.