Cosmic Illusions



by
Salli McQuaid

Laughing Dragon Art Gallery

lofty quilts and high art



on edge art studios
216 Whistling Duck RD
Walla Walla, WA 99362
artistwriter@oplink.net
1-509-876-4016



Plum Dragon, 2009, archived

 


 

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MEMBER

 

outdoor sculpture ... 

Claudia Grand Dam

 


 

During the big "cow" craze in 2001,

Claudia's life began.  If every other artist in the world was making a life-size cow sculpture, I would make one, too. 

I started with the internet, exploring "Longhorns." I was now a Texan, and I since I wanted to make the quintessential Texas cow, it of course had to be a longhorn. 

Fortunately, in my research I discovered longhorn females are endowed with horns. Sometimes the female (or cow) of the species, does not sport horns. I also discovered that female longhorns are called dams, and the very finest, prize-winning
dams are called "grand dams." 

Hence her title Claudia Grand Dam, a play on martial artist and actor Claude Van Dam's name. Considering the real physical power of the longhorn, it was a fitting title, I thought.

To further my research, I hung out on just the other side of a pasture of longhorns. Luckily, a longhorn bull came up to me. Separated only by a barbed wire fence, we hung together for about five minutes. 

At this propitious meeting, I was able to discover the true essence of the longhorn. The bull was proud, proprietary, and had the most gentle eyes, with unbelievably long lashes. I wandered back to teenage days in Oregon, visualizing myself pulling on those bothersome cow teats (continued next page).  

Claudia Grand Dam: mixed media. At the Lone Star Koi Club Tour, 2002.
Photo: Helen Rodriguez

 

Claudia Grand Dam:  frontal view,
under construction, 2002
 

 


Claudia Grand Dam: 
back view,
under construction, 2002

Claudia 2


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Photos by Mike McQuaid
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