Bird Dog, 2003; 28" x 53" x 20", cherry, birch, bronze, copper; (c) James Mellick 2003
For a moment she froze in mid pant with her tongue hanging out. She had not read the book and didn't know that she was an Irish Setter and setters sit or lay near their prey and were taught that it was not nice to point. (If the dog is low to the ground, she does not get caught in the net thrown for the birds.) "He's got to be around here somewhere", she thought.
Just then a terrible quacking and flapping of wings erupted on her hind quarters. "What the Sam Hill are you doing?" quacked the duck. "I'm a Wood Duck, not a quail or a pheasant!". "Oh my gosh you are right and I am sorry ," said the dog.
Just then they caught their reflection in the pond. "Say you know, we look pretty good together", said the dog. The duck replied, "Yes, indeed we do. Let's hang out together a while longer." And they did just that.
Bird Dog is the first of a series of new dogs since 1999, created for a one man show at the Southern Ohio Museum in Portsmouth, Ohio. It was inspired by a collector of duck decoys who suggested a duck on the back of a dog. Since 1985 I've designed animal combinations so the idea fit my way of thinking. The studio process in creating this piece has been documented. The content in this new body of work reflects my move from the urban to country life and the conflict between animals and nature (in the true Romantic tradition) is a new theme as part of the allegory. At the same time, some political viewpoints have changed since 1996 with the move from urban to rural. One small example is the attitude towards the gun. In the country you have to be ready to protect yourself and put down a rabid animal now and then. I may also be more sensitive to nature than any urban dwelling environmentalist because I'm living in nature.
I've noticed that changes in the form of sculpture begin to take place when I leave a subject for several years and then return. This is one way that a style progresses and improves. Witness (Kosovo Dog), 1999 was one of the first dogs in the Doghouse Anthology to have more mass and less negative spaces and voids in the body and the recent dogs continue in the same manner. This means more surface material and more work. Bird Dog is created from the same, dark, old growth, premium cherry used for Witness. The pointing gesture is new for me and is the second dog to be displayed on three legs since The Politically Incorrect Dog, 1992. Another development is the turn toward some function in the work and I've recently joined the Furniture Society. This is the first time that small drawers have been added to an animal sculpture--as an experiment rather than content.
The wood duck with it's distinctive head plume, is carved in birch and the bronze feet are attached to the body of the Irish Setter. The teeth of the Setter are birch and the nails are walnut. The use of copper is limited to the eyes and "heart area". This piece represents my finest craftsmanship to every detail and required over 300 hours to create, even with 30 years experience of working with wood. New challenges included the elements of drawers and carving and finishing the stylized strands of hair.