Eldorado Animal Clinic

Background

Eldorado Animal Clinic (4'-0" tall x 14-0"'x 2-0"'):

      The concept for the design of this sculpture was to create a strong sense of identity and welcome for an established veterinary clinic in Eldorado, NM, close to Santa Fe. The owner and founder, Dr. Murt Byrne was interested in using the clinic's existing logo, a shadow-hand of a barking dog, in addition to a sign indicating his business. I suggested creating a portrait of Dr. Byrne's hand in the shadow-dog gesture and then making this several times life size. I made a direct plaster cast of Dr. Byrne's hand and then enlarged and carved it in stone to almost three-times life-size, replicating all the unique details of his own hand. The text for the clinic is traditionally hand-carved directly into the stone blocks. We chose Texas Leuters limestone for durability, color and budget. The stone was provided by New Mexico Travertine in Belen, New Mexico.
      We began the design process in 2004 and the finished piece was installed in June of 2005 with help from Lameroux Crane Service from Santa Fe. The surrounding landscaping was completed in the spring of 2006.

In the Studio

Installation