I began creating a series of seriously whimsical rabbits a number of years ago. The first rabbit was hand cut the day Walter Cronkite passed away. “Walter” as he is fondly called appears and reappears. “Walter – Going down” was the very first.

This August I installed two in Sarasota in amazing gardens………..

Walter GD2

“Walter -Going Down” has a tropical residence alongside a lap pool. While “Walter – Who? What?” is paired with another sculpture in a slightly more formal setting and in a different material.

I’m insistent installation is done properly. Thankfully Sarasota has an extremely experienced art installer – Jon Dowd. We shared one hot, humid afternoon placing and installing the rabbits.

jon d

“Walter -Who? What?” is the first in the series to be cut from metal other than aluminum. I chose mild steel to be sensitive to the sculpture he was to be paired with. The steel plate selected was already aging but I took a few steps to achieve a more aged finish.

Before degreasing, rust acceleration and rust inhibition the rabbit looked like this……

walterWW

Installed he looks like this………

walterWW2

A happy ending for two tails!

August 18, 2016August 18, 2016 by Deborah Dart Categories: Art, sculptureTags: Rabbit sculpture, Sarasota sculpture, Walter

Throwback Thursday

Happy Hour

This is one of my first whimsical paintings. In my early years as a member of the Petticoat Painters, I had trouble creating a piece to meet the theme of an upcoming annual show. Nothing I was working on at the time seemed to be going in the right direction.

I ended up painting my first seriously whimsical painting for that show. It was titled “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5”. I’ve no idea where it is today and sadly I can’t seem to put my hands on a photo of it.

To add a little humor and lightness to gallery shows, I painted a few whimsical animal pieces for each. They were fun, well received and became the sketches for my dream to one day delve into a 3rd dimension and create large animal sculptures.

Walter, Going Down

February 19, 2015February 25, 2015 by Deborah Dart Categories: ArtTags: animal sculpture, Petticoat Painter shows, Sarasota sculpture, Whimsical animals

June 2014 Update

New installations……

Walter’s Frolics

On Sunday May 25, 2014 a new sculpture was unveiled to some very tough critics……

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“Walter’s Frolics” is a three part installation. The medium is 3/8th inch powder coated aluminum. This is the fourth installation in the series Walter. Three installations are in Sarasota. The fourth is in Los Altos, California.

It was an honor to be commissioned to create this piece for a couple that has amassed over time a very impressive and fantastic collection of art.

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“Walter, Who, What?” is awaiting a home. Measuring 3 feet out of the ground, this piece requires no professional installation and is easy to move and relocate. It is powder coated 3/8″ aluminum plate.

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“Walter’s Covey” is ready for cutting. Walter and his umbrella are six feet tall and truly magical!

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Coming soon….

Due to arrive any day to the Palm Avenue studio from the sculpture studio is “Lily”. This is a tabletop / garden sized piece, measuring four foot in length.