Click photo to view full image

THE TROOPER

This sculpture represents and honors the men who valiantly served in the United States Cavalry during the 1880s. During this era, the ‘Indian Wars’ were in full swing. The troopers played an influential part in settling the Southwest.

The Apache, famed for their fierceness in battle and resourcefulness in evading capture, dwelt among the Sierra Madre Mountains in southeastern Arizona. To combat the threat of Indian attack and maintain government control, military forts were established throughout Arizona In describing the military’s efforts to apprehend the Apache warriors, one soldier said, “We chase the wind and shoot at shadows”. Led by chief Niech, and medicine man, Geronimo, the Chiricahua were one of the last Indian tribes to lay down their weapons of war.  On September 4, 1887, the Chiricahua Apache surrendered to General Nelson A. Miles.

The government issue equipment and clothing are accurate to the time period. The rifle is a 45-70 breech-loading carbine.  The leather strap (worn over the shoulder of the trooper) along with the metal clip, fastens the rifle securely to the soldier at all times. A silk scarf is worn inside the soldier’s collar – preventing chaffing by his army-issued wool shirt. The sidearm (pistol) and trenching knife are U.S. military issue.

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 the 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.”