TGIF afterhours

[naturegirl]

Thank goodness I made it! Afterhours or before are my favorite times at work. Stayed late today to finish up a personal project, wandered around and took pictures while the sun was setting and the air-lines were wheezing out the last of the air for the week. Really a neat place when everyone is gone, you just walk around real quiet and look. Hope ya'll like the artshow.

naturegirl

 

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[RGINN]

Yee-haaw, NG!! You need to tell us all a lot more about where you work! I got a suspicion, but I could be wrong. If I ain't, it's just toooooo cool. Kinda looks like me in that one pic.

 

[Kiwijohn]

Is that on the set of 'A Night at the Museum'

 

[Tank69]

wow now thats a collection

 

[naturegirl]

That there dangerous cowboy with the six-shooters is Frank Eaton, aka Pistol Pete of the Oklahoma State Cowboys! GO POKES!!! That is a 3 ft. maquet of the 12 ft statue installed in Perkins, of all places, home of Frank Eaton. Frank was the real deal cowboy lawman, His life story is interesting. The artist of that piece is Wayne Cooper.

These are taken at The Bronze Horse foundry in Pawhuska, owner John Free Sr. He's also a sculpter of the western genre. He built the foundry over 25 years ago so he could cast his work without having to go to Texas or Colorado. Word spread and other artists started bringing thier work to the foundry, and today it's still a small place, mom and pop kind of business, but we cast for quite a few people. In the photo with Pistol Pete are two examples of John's work, the front one is Ben Johnson, actor/cowboy, native Pawhuskan. It shows Ben roping a steer. The town of Pawhuska is trying ti sell enough maquets to pay for a life-and-quarter size statue to honor Ben and John both. In the first picture, you can see the large horse head and ben's head. John is getting on in years, and this project is just too large for him to work on, so I've had the awsome honor bestowed on me to do the sculpting of the big one, under John's direction of course.

My primary job at the foundry is moldmaker, and I get to do most of the enlargements that come our way, some artists are too busy, or just don't want to do the labor involved in a big one. That's fine for me, because I get to sculpt. T-net memeber Buckshot is employeed there also as a metal chaser and he's learning to do patinas

ng

 

[RGINN]

Excellent, ng, cool job! (Pete tended to stretch the truth, too, but no matter! He was still an all around cool dude.)

 

[Charmin]

Cool place to work naturegirl! We watched a youtube video of some of your co-workers pouring bronze. Looks like a dangerous job unless you really know what you're doing!

I can't wait to see the bronze of Ben Johnson--he was my husbands Great Uncle! When my husband and I got married in '94 he was back here staying and he bought us a house full of furniture for a wedding present. He was a GREAT man with a good heart!!
My mother-in-law gave me this oil painting of him, painted by George Francuch in January 1978.
regards~~sandcreek

 

[naturegirl]

That's a very good painting Sand creek, and what a nice gift he gave you for a wedding present. I knew he has a lot of relatives still in the area, but I hadn't heard your husband was one.,
but being from Hominy I still don't know a lot of Pawhuska people.

We are close to having enough to cast the piece I think. John said go ahead and do the sculpture and get the mold made, then it will be ready to go when there is enough money. Buckshot helped me with the steer and I'm making the mold on it now. I have to work on Ben in between my other duties, and it's frustrating that it isn't progressing any faster. But this year, I'm committed to getting it finished. Ya'll are more than welcome to come to the foundry to see progress, Right now Ben's face is done. John said don't touch it any more. He's satisfied with it. I hope Ben's family likes it.

I don't know how hard Mike MaCartney has tried to contact anyone in Hollywood to sell the maquets. I know there still has to be Ben Johnson fans alive out there, and they would like to maybe see him imortalized. Charles Banks Wilson was just at the foundry Thurs, and he said the same thing, Hollywood. This project has been going on now for about 10 years, and I'm past wanting to see it installed! I keep thinking something good is going to happen soon, that's why I feel a renewed sense of urgency to finish this project.

naturegirl

 

[bravowhiskey]

Great place to work and gain historical perspective. Naturegirl. Did you all have anything to do with the bronze of the mustangs running in water at Los Colinas in Irving, Tx. ? Fascinating.

Love the Ben Johnson painting Sand Creek, one of my favorite western actors.

BW

 

[allen]

those are some really neat pics !!