Today’s feature artist is Jocelyn Russel! She is the sculptor of the SSgt. Reckless Monument and many other monumental and small size statues and sculptures. Below, you can find out about Jocelyn and see photos of her work. Also, Jocelyn will be doing a question & answer  session on my #EquineArtHour on Twitter on   May 31st, 4-5 PM EST (2015). You can ask her questions about her art during that time. You must have a Twitter account to ask questions and take part in the hour.

 #EquineArtHour is a branch of The Flying Shetlands for equine artists to promote their art and for people to discover new horse artists. Jocelyn Russel, Jean Abernethy and “Fergus” , Horsefly Films,  Donna Bernstein, Raphael Macek, Breyer Horses, and other artists are lining up to do future Q&A sessions. Come and join us every Sunday at 4-5 PM EST on Twitter and make sure to use the #EquineArtHour hashtag!

Find more info on the The Flying Shetlands Twitter page .

~Jocelyn Russel~

Site:  http://www.wildlifebronzes.com

Location: San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest, Washington, USA

Here is a little bit about her from her website:

Jocelyn Russell was born and raised in the San Luis Valley in beautiful Colorado. The baby of five children, she was allowed to join Mom in the studio after the older kids were sent off to school. Jocelyn dabbled with all forms of art material, but not crayons or play-doh. She had the real thing… paints and clay!
With a father and three brothers who hunted regularly, wild game was the usual fare at the Russell table. She often helped with the processing of the game, poking and prodding at all the extra animal ‘parts` discarded in the scrap box… a child`s first hand study of animal anatomy. Not your normal dainty little girl, Jocelyn could be found knee deep in mud in the local drain ditches and ponds, chasing minnows, crayfish, and anything else that moved. This was much to the dismay of her mother, who finally designated Wednesday the one day her ‘tom-boy` daughter HAD to wear a dress to grade school. Ick!
Jocelyn dragged home anything that pertained to an animal, including hair, horns and skulls. Her childhood menagerie of live animals consisted of a donkey, goats, chickens, bunnies, birds, squirrels, turtles… and of course, a few minnows in a little fish bowl in the bathroom.
At age twelve, she landed a job with a local veterinarian, with the unglamorous task of keeping the dog kennels free of… doggie-doo. Proving she was not afraid of a little ‘poo’, she worked her way up into a hands-on position, participating in all aspects of the business, including assisting during surgeries. It was the highlight of her youth, and after fourteen years on the job, her love of animals and anatomy was cemented. Beginning art as a full time career in 1992, her paintings and bronzes have since generated thousands of dollars for conservation organizations. Sculpting nearly full time now, she works on pieces from miniature to monumental.
Her life is full and fantastic, and dedication to research has taken her to many destinations, including Patagonia, Costa Rica, Alaska and an undeniably favorite…. Africa. Now living on San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest, Jocelyn has found the rainy days of winter a welcome respite from the blowing snow of the San Luis Valley, and enjoys creating new pieces by the warmth of a wood stove (which her husband, Michael, keeps stoked daily during the long winters). She has attained international recognition for her paintings and sculptures both, and enjoys the versatility of tackling many subjects and mediums to keep her inspirations alive.

 

 

~SSgt. Reckless~

 

To find out more about SSgt. Reckless and the monument dedicated to her, you can read this past article on the statue: SSgt. Reckless Monument By Jocelyn Russel

 

 

 

‘Mustang Tender’

 

 

~Bison/Hunter~

 

~Unbridled~

 

This commission began as a bust of a dressage mare, including her bridle. During the initial sculpting, I really liked just the bust, no tack. So I cast this first, then continued with another casting with the bridle. Shortly thereafter, another client wanted the bust to look like her beautiful dressage gelding, but with the mane up. So, I was yet challenged with another variation of sculpture. With a myriad of patina options, it seems this bust continues to morph into several different horses. – Jocelyn Russel

 

 

 

Thank you, Jocelyn for letting me feature you! We are all looking forward to having you on #EquineArtHour this Sunday!

Shya

Huh? What? Well, I will believe that when I see flying Shetlands !