"Blade"
Metal Horse Sculpture
23"h x 30"l
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Equine Sculptor Dixie Jewett knows horses, of that there
is no question. One has only to admire the precision with
which she captures the nuance of a delicate fetlock or
pastern, and the strength captured in every flank and
withers, to know this is an artist of truly significant
skill. But with Jewett's work, whether an equine sculpture
two feet high or an imposing steed standing twenty hands
high, the surprise is in the artist's medium: junk. |
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Nine and a half foot tall "Prince", a model of sophisticated
radiance, is composed entirely of chrome automobile parts. "Stormy
Bay's" rusty brown patina is ¼" steel plates with a conglomeration
of railroad spikes, wrought iron fleur delis and horseshoes added.
"Sometimes I'll stop work and go out to the stable and pasture to
look at the muscles and proportions," Jewett says. It is this
precision of effort that defines the artist's work. And it was a
singular path that brought her to this point. |
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While growing up on a farm in Montana she knew horses well and
always felt a strong interest in art; but after high school a
different love took center stage. "I always wanted to be an artist,"
she says, "but I was sidetracked by flying." Jewett spent fourteen
years flying seaplanes as air-taxis around Alaska. The artist still
keeps a plane at her local airport and, in whatever spare time she
can find, is rebuilding another. |
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"Dark Horse"
Metal Horse Sculpture
25"h x 30"l
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When she made her way, at last, to art she painted, did
bronze casting and raku work. But trying to sculpt with
clay, with its lack of strength, posed a problem;
proportions could be a challenge. "You can't make skinny
legs on horses," the artist notes. Steel, however, did not
pose the same difficulty. Jewett took a class to learn the
processes of gas- and wire-feed welding and began fashioning
new materials into smooth-sided horses until she found the
medium that would allow her to define her true artistic
statement. Jewett has now become a renowned fabrication
artist working broken tools, rusted car parts, farm
equipment and myriad odds and ends together to create her
indisputably life-like horse sculptures. |
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"Stormy
Bay"
Metal Horse Sculpture
11'h x 10'10"l x 2'w |
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Typically, Jewett draws her ideas on the floor first then begins the
three-dimensional work, taking several months to complete each
sculpture. Every one is unique, both in materials and in concept,
with Jewett's painstaking work with forge, torch and welding rod
bringing character to each. The artist lives on a thirty-four acre
Christmas-tree covered property where three horses and one mule
provide constant inspiration. Her Newfoundland dog accompanies
Jewett as she tows a flatbed with her latest breathtaking horse
strapped securely on its back - towering over the startled highway
drivers lucky enough to encounter this artist while she simply
delivers the latest work to her gallery.
Click on an image to see more detail.
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