MULE DEER BRONZE SCULPTURE UNVEILED AT GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - A bronze sculpture featuring three mule deer leaping in unison over a slope dotted with sage brush was unveiled on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 at the Governor’s Residence in Cheyenne.

The sculpture by Cheyenne artist Guadalupe Barajas is entitled “Open Season” and stands nearly 13 feet tall. The piece has been installed on a new platform that sits at the center of a roundabout on the northwest side of the residence, across from the main public entrance.

Several of the craftsmen and women who helped create the sculpture were in attendance for the unveiling, along with Gov. Dave and First Lady Nancy Freudenthal, Nancy Schiffer, former chair of the Wyoming Arts Council, and several members of the committee that chose Barajas to create the work.

In honor of his contribution, Mayor Jack Spiker named Friday as “Guadalupe Barajas day in Cheyenne.”

Gov. Dave Freudenthal said that although artists submitted maquettes of various wildlife species, he favored a sculpture of mule deer since it is relatively rare to see the species portrayed in Western art.

"Wyoming has many sculptures of elk and antelope but frankly, not that many that depict mule deer,” the Governor said. “We are delighted that now the Governor's Residence is graced by a magnificent sculpture which reflects both the power and majesty of the mule deer.”

Barajas said the work is both the largest and the most prestigious that he has ever created.

“Unless one has seriously sculpted, it would seem difficult understanding the feeling of literally taking a lump of clay, and breathing life into it. This is my reality as a bronze sculptor,” Barajas said. “Unlike painting, where I've created illusions of space, sculpture consumes its space as it takes on a life of its own. Every angle of its composition presents a new perspective, and an added challenge to my creative energy. Sculpting, for me, is truly an intimate experience. Capturing that inner spirit and energy of one's subject involves an intimate connection. This is what separates mediocrity from the real deal.”

First Lady Nancy Freudenthal has called the sculpture a “perfect piece” for the Governor’s residence.

“The buck has strong and beautiful lines,” she said. “But the doe and yearling are my favorite pieces in the overall sculpture - they’re interesting, delicate and feminine. It will truly define the front of the residence in a way that we could not have achieved with plantings or archways.”

Before the sculpture was unveiled, Nancy Schiffer said she was thrilled to see the sculpture completed and installed at the residence.

“I am deeply indebted to the State Building Commission for providing the funding for this wonderful piece,” she said. “I like the idea of Dave going to work and looking out and seeing it and smiling, and of Nancy greeting guests here at the residence and their seeing this piece and talking about it. The Freudenthals have been wonderful about encouraging more people to come to the residence and visit and I love the idea of school kids coming out and seeing this piece - running underneath it and touching it.”

The process of choosing an artist to create the piece started several years ago. The Wyoming Arts Council established a process for artists to submit portfolios and Barajas was selected as one of three finalists from a group of 20 Wyoming sculptors.

The three finalists were asked to submit clay maquettes of sculptures featuring one or all of these four native Wyoming animals: antelope, elk, bighorn sheep and mule deer. The artists were asked to create pieces that were large enough to be seen from the highway, were aesthetically pleasing from all angles and showed animals in motion.

Selecting the final choice was extremely difficult, the First Lady said.

“This piece really appealed to Dave,” she said. “He grew up on a farm near Thermopolis where there were mule deer out in the fields all the time. And for me it was the same where I grew up in Cody.”  

The full-sized clay of “Open Season” was finished in January and was used to create molds for the casting of the bronze sculpture. The 2,700-pound sculpture is slightly larger than life with the animals depicted at one and one-quarter size.

This summer, the Governor joined Barajas in visiting several different studios in Loveland and Berthoud, Colo. where the sculpture was cast, welded and finished.

The Governor called the number of craftsmen and women involved in the creation of the sculpture “remarkable.”
 
“It was fascinating to see the various stages that this sculpture went through following its creation in Lupe Barajas’ studio in Cheyenne,” Freudenthal said. “These talented people involved in the casting and various welding phases have done a remarkable job and Nancy and I are thrilled to see the sculpture returned to Cheyenne and installed at the residence. We hope that members of the public will visit and get a chance to enjoy this magnificent work of art.”


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