July 4th in Ennis Montana - And the Decleration Of Independence

A citizen's required reading for July 4th: The Declaration of Independence (with music)
Ennis Montana, and it's annual 4th of July Parade. The video starts by showing the Veteran's Memorial, and the bronze I created for it back in 2001.
The Bozeman Montana Tea Party also joined in the parade.
Our home town hero, Johnny France was the Grand Marshal of the Parade. Johnny's story of the capture of the Nichols, father and son. It was portrayed in several made for TV movies and recently on Fugitive Chronicles on A&E Channel. There's a book out.. Incident at Big Sky: The True Story of Sheriff Johnny France and the Capture of the Mountain Men [Hardcover]



Parade Video Uploading ... check back later.

Photographs... the first two are of the Veteran's Memorial and the bronze I created durring the first part of 2001.

On The Old Bozeman Trail, The Madison River, SW Montana

People have traveled this rout for over 11,000 years just north of Ennis Montana

War Medicine - Coloring the First Bronze - Well Kinda

Got to the foundry at 8 am and waited for the bronze till 10 am. Lance and Issac worked on the bronze till late last night but there were a lot of blemishes that needed repair. Then we started coloring the bronze but soon we saw problems with some details that were missing. Nothing really bad, but no metal workers in the foundry to work on it. So I'm going to continue the coloring, Next week, after the foundry re-opens on Tuesday. You'll see what I mean in today's video.

The Protector - Worked on the Left Hand Today - I'm Also Featured On Another Blog

All I was able to work on today was one hand. I had a very enjoyable day, having friends drop in and visit and that's about all I did today. This is the week of the 4th of July, so it's expected. People come from all over the country to their summer homes and they try to be here for the 4th of July parade on Sunday. (I will be videoing that parade) So this is about as much as I'm going to be able to do this week.
Be sure to read about Angela Swedberg's contribution to this clay below the video.
Thursday and Friday I'll be videoing the coloring of two bronzes



I just wanted to add something I just saw on Angela Swedberg's blog, she was talking about how her blog has brought her into contact with people she'd probably would never meet in real life. I saw that she started following my blog so I checked hers out and was blown away with her incredible ability in creating wondrous reproductions of Indian clothing from the 1800's.
The following is from her blog, explaining a little about herself
"Howdy. I am using this Blog to show the artwork I do. I make original Plains and Plateau style Indian art, based on 19th century aesthetics and use authentic materials that were available in that time frame (1820-1900). I also restore and do conservation work of antique Indian art. I am a tribally certified Indian Artisan in accordance with the Indian Arts and Crafts act of 1990. Recently I have been exploring the world of art glass and the ways of incorporating it into a modern expression of established tribal art forms. Lastly, my other passion is horses. They often influence my work, and give much to my soul. I have quite a bit of material posted on here, so be sure to look back at the earlier entry's. Thank You for looking at my work, and I hope you enjoy it. If you are interested in my work, I can be contacted at angela@ medicinecapstudio.com Thank You."
She's been an incredible artist, and I've found her generous with her knowledge, and giving me insight into the Blackfeet culture. The feathered bonnet I'm reproducing here, on my clay, was inspired by one she reproduced. It's pictured below. Here is a link to her blog, ANGELA'S BLOG, please check it out.

A Day Of Waiting And Cleaning The Studio

I needed to get the clay of THE PROTECTOR up onto my other sculpting stand so I could start working on the lower areas of the clay. It was late in the afternoon before he got there and helped me lift it up.
Thursday and Friday, I'll be coloring the first bronzes of AIN'T NO COWBOY and WAR MEDICINE. Pictured below.



Photos of the two clay that will be colored this week

The Protector - The Headdress Finished Today

Pretty much spent the day working on the headdress. Finally got all the Ermin sculpted on today. Monday, I'll finish up the headdress with the Blood Feather at the crown of the cap. Then I'll start to finish up the lower part of the clay.. that is if I can find someone to help me to lift it up onto the sculpting stand...



Final Photographs.

The Protector - Reworking the Face - Adding a Scarf

My goal today was to continue on the headdress. I didn't. Well I did, but didn't.. The video will explain all.
I'd gotten some opinions of the mouth and the youth of the warrior. I have to wait till I'm in the mood to make changes like that. Well today I was in that mood. So the face went through a change today.
I re-thought the adding of the shell neckless. I was going through a huge book of portraits by Edward Curtis, taken in the latter part of the 18 and the very early part of the 1900s. I was looking for mouths that I could put on this warrior's face. I noticed that most of the men wore scarfs. This made sense to me. Especially those Indians who lived on the great plains and in the mountains. You still need to wear a scarf against the dust and cold. It wasn't any different back then.



Final Photographs today.