-Buffalo c. 1920 - 1925

This diminutive Buffalo was made by the Arcade Manufacturing Company, we don’t know when, and it’s cast in iron. Look closely and you can see how the copper paint is applied, not to perfectly simulate the animal’s coloring, but to capture light on the surface of the form. A patina of green shows where the copper has begun to oxidize, so it has this feeling of being aged and sort of eternal, like a classical bronze sculpture. This little buffalo is so solid. It’s hefty, but you can hold it in your hand. You can feel the process of its making, like the impression left by a mould. It's a reminder that sculpture is about making decisions, deciding what to leave in, what to leave out, and how to describe something three-dimensionally with a minimum of marks. This work reminds me of the animal sculptures of Franz Marc. Both artists imbue their subjects with a sense of dignity, capturing the essence of the animal form with reverence and simplicity. And like all great art, it invites us to engage with it on our own terms.