108 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
e
Art
By Amy Herzog
From beeswax to bronze, sculptor Lisa Perry
has covered a lot of ground over her 33 years as a
professional artist – with pieces gracing the fronts
of museums, racetracks, national historic sites and
landmarks, as well as private homes and farms.
“I grew up in Montana where my father was the
assistant attorney general,” she said. “Because there
was no school bus out where we lived, I would wait
after school for a ride home with him. While I waited,
I haunted the Montana Historical Museum across the
street. They had an extensive collection of Charlie
Russell’s artwork, including many sculptures and, what
fascinated me the most, many little beeswax figures he
modeled as references for his works. Before long, I had
a block of beeswax to try my hand with.”
The inspiration she received from the museum
continues to influence her work today. She begins each
piece in clay before casting it in bronze and she designs
jewelry pieces in wax, which are then cast into gold or
silver.
But whether the product is bronze, gold or silver, each
of Lisa’s pieces start with a feeling – an emotion. Lisa works with
a piece to draw out crucial details and she embraces the individual
personalities of each of her subjects – capturing the raw power of
a racehorse or the impressive stature of a beloved trainer.
Research also plays a key part in Lisa’s creation process as she
learns everything about her subjects from physical appearance to
unique mannerisms, especially for a commissioned piece.
“I think all artists are tortured souls in a way, driven to express
something they may not fully even understand until they do it,”
she said. “I have been led to do this since I was a small child. I
think I have not so much pursued it as it has pursued me. My art
is an honest attempt to put into bronze the feeling I get from the
warm breath of a horse on my neck, the clatter of hooves as a
stud bunch wheels and disappears over a ridge, tails curled high
From Beeswax to Bronze
over their backs, the incredible power of racehorses straining for
a finish line their hearts have already crossed or the honesty of
the horse who has given it all, but reaches deep and finds a little
more.”
Throughout her award winning career, Lisa has reached many
milestones as an artist, starting with her first sculpture – a historical
piece for the city of Forth Worth, Texas to her most recent piece
of the famous Thoroughbred sire Distorted Humor for WinStar
Farms in Versailles, Kentucky.
“I have won many awards over the years but the biggest honors
have been the many people who have thought enough of my work
to have me do sculptures of some of the nation’s finest horses,
trainers, jockeys, etc.,” she said. “I have work in front of museums,
racetracks, national historical sites and landmarks as well as
beautiful farms and homes across the country and I have been
privileged to meet some wonderful people and their horses while
I did these.”
The sky’s the limit for this equine sculptor. Last year, she
completed sculptures of two life-size horse pieces, started
a life-size dog and did several jewelry designs. This year, she
already has commissions lined up ranging from life-size historical
human figures to a larger than life horse and rider. In between
commissioned works, Lisa keeps busy creating editions of her
sculptures to sell herself. Many of these pieces are also life size.
One of her ultimate goals is to create a very large sculpture of
multiple running horses.
Preferring to work unaffiliated with a gallery, Lisa’s work can be
seen at shows and online at
. Her work has
been displayed at venues such as the 2010 World Equestrian
Games, The All American Quarter Horse Congress, The National
Finals Rodeo and hundreds of other horse shows, racetracks and
art shows around the country.
About the writer: Amy Herzog is a freelance writer and photographer who has
been riding hunter/jumper’s since second grade. She has a BA in Communication
from DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
A life-size bronze of world champion running horse Refrigerator in front of
the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum in Amarillo, Texas.
All photos courtesy of Lisa Perry
Lisa’s piece “Distorted Humor,” created for WinStar Farms in
Versailles, Kentucky.
