Sedona AZ (August 13, 2012) – Wildlife sculptor and gallery owner Ken Rowe has the good fortune of being able to observe his subject matter right in his own backyard. One day, he watched as a covey of small phoebe birds went about their business only steps from his house. Suddenly, a Cooper’s hawk swept down on the little birds, sending them scattering. Fortunately for the phoebes, the hawk flew away hungry. The backyard drama inspired Ken to sculpt A Close Call featuring life-size phoebes and a life-size Cooper’s hawk (the piece measures 20 inches tall and 19 inches wide). The award-winning artist spent 14 months creating the sculpture. And Ken’s timing is a bit better than the hawk’s: He will debut the bronze, his labor of love, on Sept. 7, just days after the Labor Day holiday.
Aside from the fact that the wildlife depicted in the sculpture is actual size – something Ken isn’t able to do very often considering his subject matter includes bears, moose and elk – this sculpture is unique for another reason. The artwork can be displayed on a pedestal or it can be hung on a wall without any alterations to the sculpture. “Many of my collectors are running out of space for free-standing sculptures, so they like the versatility of being able to hang a bronze on the wall,” says Ken. “It hangs very discreetly; if you looked at the back of the sculpture, you probably wouldn’t even be able to tell how it mounts.”
A Close Call, which is limited to an edition of 35, will be unveiled during the Sedona Gallery Association’s 1st Friday Gallery Tour on Sept. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. Stop in to meet Ken and see his latest work of art.
Rowe Fine Art Gallery represents traditional and contemporary southwestern painters, sculptors and jewelers. The gallery, located under the bell tower in Patio de las Campanas at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 928-282-8877 or visit www.rowegallery.com.
