The Ubiquitous Squirrel

There is no creature that I can think of  that can move though our environment quite like a squirrel.  Most of us at some time perhaps many times try and imagine what it would be like to fly like a bird.  But think for a moment what it would be to be a squirrel.  There is practically no place they cannot go.  Jumping from tree to tree, walking power lines, in and out of buildings through smallest of openings.  They are quick, agile, and seemingly fearless of larger creatures that might chew on them if they were caught.  The are amazing athletes and acrobats, with inexhaustible strength and energy. Skillful, devious bandits who have deductive reasoning power nearly equal to that of humans.  They are escape artists as well, capable of outwitting traps or barriers meant to deter them.  They have survival abilities unparalleled, that give them the sense to store food for the long winter, build their homes high in the trees out of the reach of predators.  And then to line those homes with stolen building insulation to keep them warm.  We delight in there entertaining movements as they range about with the grace of a ballet dancer whether across the ground, or flying through the tress.  This all makes them worthy of our appreciation in the wildlife spectrum whether we care to admit it or not.  And that certainly makes them a worthy subject for wildlife sculpture.

Multitudinous Squirrel Possibilities

Very few wildlife subjects have the suppleness of body that the squirrel.  To the artist this means greater liberties to position for their rendition.  The sculpture that I am  working on in the accompanying image, is in what I term, “the classic pose”.  This is the posture you are perhaps most accustomed to seeing if you saw one stop for a second after scampering across your yard.  But I often like to challenge myself by putting them into a lesser symmetrical posture.   This might be accomplished by twisting the body back upon itself.  The squirrel would then be look back from the opposite direction from which his body is facing.  By doing the classic pose, I am allowed to further study of the relationship of body proportions.  This will enable  greater accurately to later render the subject in the more difficult postures in later sculptures.