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“HIGHTAILIN’”

Have you ever given a job to someone and spent the next hour, day or week wondering whether it would get done?

Have you ever given a job to someone and rested easy from the moment the words came out of your mouth? You knew the job would be finished ahead of time.

What type of feeling do “You” give off? This one takes some serious self- examination.

I love the subtle clues in a piece. You’ll have to hunt for a few here. The time period can be determined from the type of hat he’s wearing and by the make of the saddle. The reins are of the macate’ type (anywhere from 20 – 50 feet long). Notice the snake hide on the back of the cantle (rattlesnakes have a natural glue that adheres like iron when dried). Many cowboys would kill a snake – skin it – and stretch the hide over their cantles. Ever heard of slobber leathers off a bit? They create leverage for the reins and provide comfort for the horse. Notice the hog nosed tapederos. They will give you an idea of the type of country this cowboy is working. Ever noticed that your old timey cowboys never rode with canteens?

This is fun. I enjoy putting things in a piece that teach, reveal, and explain the who, where and why. I like to have folks own a work of mine and discover new things years after they have owned it.

SCOTT ROGERS

Scott Rogers’ love affair with bronze began when he bought a bronze sculpture from his uncle, Grant Speed. Six months later in October of 1990, he came home from work one day, looked at that bronze and said, “I can do that”. He sought counsel at the hands of master teachers, Fritz White CA, Stanley Bleifeld, Herb Mignery CA, Mehl Lawson CA and Grant Speed CA.

“My desire is to use art as a vehicle to inspire mankind to see the beauty of life. Artists are prone to leave emotional fingerprints all over their work; hence, what you’ll be seeing, in a way, are self-portraits. I love how shape, line and form communicate. Every line has a spirit and speaks volumes. Put a lump of clay in my hands and a short while later you’ll know exactly how I feel and physically see my soul. I am finding that the key to life is to develop eyes to see what is really ‘there’.”

Scott Rogers loves what he does and portraying the Old West. “I remember, fondly, the hours spent as a youth reading of renegades, rebels, rogues, outlaws, wild men and horses, ferocity, passion, power, cunning, independence, honor, loneliness, fear, rage, courage and freedom. These words worked their way into my soul and now find expression through my fingers in clay. The “West” was about men and women who had courage, who were part of something bigger than themselves. I find great pleasure in doing these people justice by creating a fair portrayal of their characters.”

“I sculpt feelings and not reality. In fact, to me, the words sculpture and feelings are synonymous. I love it when someone says, after viewing one of my pieces, ‘I can feel the bullet hitting him, I feel like I’m on the back of the bucking horse’ or ‘I can hear the roar of the stampede.’ I know art uplifts the spirit, it makes one want to be better, to feel good about themselves and their fellow man, to reach out for that which is good in life. It’s my wish that you experience some of what I feel through my art.”