Brookgreen Photos

I had hoped to have some finished horses to post today, but I didn't get the kiln started in time. My large kiln, where I do all my glaze firing, is a manual so someone has to turn up the temperature every two hours for its six-hour cycle. There was a time when I was so anxious to see the horses, I would stay up late to do this and then wake in the wee hours of the morning, unable to sleep because I just had to see how the horses turned out. I'm too old for that now! Or maybe just more patient. (Yes, that's it! Patient. Not old. Patient!)

I thought I would post some of the photos from Brookgreen instead. Kiln gods willing, tomorrow I will have some ponies to show off.



This piece is Youth Taming the Wild. It sits on an island in the middle of a pool, accessible to visitors by means of a small wooden bridge. It's one of the most peaceful spots on the property.



This is the view from the island standing beside the sculpture. The opening just past the small dogwood tree is the gate where Huntington's Great Danes sit. I was told this particular gate marks the entrance to the original Brookgreen plantation.



This is the view looking back through those same gates. The two Great Danes, one male and one female, sit on the brick walls on the sides of the gate. Although the two dogs are made from granite, they are in pretty poor repair. If you look you can see the repaired break on this one's tail. She also has breaks on both her legs. Still the damage seems to give the dogs a rather poignant air, as if they are still waiting for their master despite their "injuries".



I photographed these squirrels for my friend Sarah. Not only is she fond of small critters, but their wild action reminded me of her! (Oh, and Sarah would you have loved the squirrels that hung out at the Old Kitchen. They were so fat they had butt dimples!)



I also got to see the newly opened Offner Sculpture Center. It's looks more like a warehouse than an actual gallery, but still it was a treat to finally get to see some of Brookgreen's "hidden" collection. If you can imagine a large warehouse building with rows and rows of glass cases like these, then you can get a pretty accurate picture of the place. It's a bit like a library, only with cases of sculptures instead of books.

Unfortunately it's not the best way to show off the pieces. The pieces on the highest shelves are really difficult to see, especially for a short person like me. And everything is difficult to photograph (and sometimes even see) because of the reflective glass. But it is an amazing collection with a fair number of horses. Sadly, those were not the pictures that turned out well.



I did get a pretty good picture of Little Lamb, by Gertrude Lathrop. I thought he was unusual in that he is a rather large piece (probably close to life-size) and bronze that had been silver-plated. I wasn't aware that anyone did that to large pieces.

Many of the pieces had odd finishes. There were plasters and even wax originals that had been made to appear as if they were bronze. There were also bronzes with gold leaf, including a draft horse with gold leaf decorations.



This Wolfhound is a newer piece, and I'm sorry to say I did not get the name or the artist. He stands in front of the zoo, facing a companion piece of a crouching wolf. It has been nice to see more dogs at the Gardens in recent years. There is even a sculpting workshop focusing on dogs this year, conducted by Louise Peterson. I wish I was able to attend!

I still have a lot of photos from the medallion show and from Anna Hyatt Huntington's unusual house Atalaya. (There aren't many houses with a place to keep bears.)