Sculpture Ranch installs 2200 lb. Stasz Sculpture

[Lorraine Benini]

Take Flight, a 17' tall piece composed of stainless steel, steel and Horn's Blend shist by Mark Stasz of Idaho was installed on The Benini Sculpture Ranch.

It joins another Stasz water feature piece of bronze, granite and steel entitled Through the Looking Glass, bringing the total of outdoor pieces on the Sculpture Ranch to 115 sculptures - by artists from here and abroad.

The project is located on the 140-acre Texas Hill Country ranch about an hour from Austin. Land clearing and site preparation continues for more installations. For information visit www.SculptureRanch.com.

[GlennT]

I like that piece, as its form, energy, color, and gesture trumps my general bias about these kinds of works. Looking at your website, I notice your sculpture ranch is suffering from the lack of a Matt Johnson piece. I hope you have or make plans to correct that deficit. The grasp of form, gesture and humor in his work would make a great addition.

[evaldart]

Thanks Glenn, I'll remember you for a percentage if they buy one.

I do like the massiveness and the ruggedness of this sculpture. The combination of surfaces and forms of the main compositional bodies make for a substantial "presence". Very nice.
But I dont want to see the numeral "3", but perhaps I can get over that.

Thumbs up from ol E.

[suburbanartists]

This Sculpture Ranch has some really nice pieces. Saw Sam Spicka's piece on the website. Very Nice. This one with the "3" isn't doing it for me though. I Agree with Eval and don't like the 3. Oh well........... many others there though that more than satisfy. Keep plowing up the land and planting more metal.


Looks like a good place for Matt's "Twist". or any/all of the 7 deadly sins (If you can wrangle them from the owner). The "big wheel" would have to be supersized from its already healthy girth.

[GlennT]

Everyone tells me that you have to drop your preconceptions when you look at abstract work, or not to see it as figurative, or some such thing. So, look at it without thinking "3", and it works really well.

[Thatch]

I liked the ranch and hope to go back. And there is a lot of room out there for all types of work that weathers well or is made to turn back to reath over time. There could be huge earthen snake sculpture out there 100 meters long and it would never be seen from the road you drive through on. It has been a while since I saw how large the place is but I grew up on a quarter section in the summers, which meant most of a section, so if it isn't in West Texas ranch size it certainly is bigger than farm.
Besides Sculpture Ranch sounds better, and there are a lot of "Ranches" in Texas that aren't much larger than the run about where we herded the cattle up to drink at night, or load in the shoots to haul off to auction. That means not enough room to plant a crop in........so Ranch can be a relative thing.
The Sculpture Ranch is a pretty good sized place and the weekend for Mesquite Festival, crafts and furniture in Fredicksburg is coming up. Craig, you should see some of the stuff made out of Mesquite they have out there. Really!
Thatch

[bobcoon]

Hey you guys...if you don't like the 3...walk around to the other side. Better, yes????

[Zophia]

or it kinda looks like the OM' buddist symbol.

I like how massive it is. The title distracts me as i have seen too many sculptures with that same very name (a student in my shop just named one that, also ). It is hard to tell the different material tectures in this pictures. I will have to go to the sculpture ranch to chck it out. In fact i was looking for a reason to apply for this grant. It is just 1,000, but i think i will propose to visit west coast sculpture parks. Can i include any of you on my west coast studio tour? Must allow dogs! I hope these sculpture parks do... that is off topic but anyway. I do like the piece.

Z

[Lorraine Benini]

Introduce us to Mark Johnson's work.....

[Lorraine Benini]

Like the response to walk around the work in order not to see the "3" and there are great shots from the other angles:)
We have 140 acres here at The Benini Sculpture Ranch.

[grommet]

Introduce us to Mark Johnson's work.....

http://www.evaldart.com/
that's old evaldart, Matt. he's kinda shy.:rolleyes:

[suburbanartists]

Matt's "Twist"
www.evaldart.com/html/sculpture011.html

[evaldart]

Thank you sisters and brothers. "Twist" has never been shown yet. Its waiting for the right gig. Thats the way it goes with some of these things. But, at 18 feet and well over a ton, it wont be a walk in the park...but what else is new?:D

[outsider]

Speaking of waiting for the right gig....
here is one....been stored the last 10 years inside a warehouse.......
8 foot by 10 foot by 20 foot..... 3,970 pounds..... The Ark

http://chrismohler.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2007-10-13T12%3A43%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolio3/c/chrismohler/The_Ark-1150510465l.jpg

http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolio3/c/chrismohler/The_Ark-1150510609l.jpg

http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolio3/c/chrismohler/The_Ark-1187190600l.jpg

[iron ant]

Dude,float that boat and exhibit that sculpture,it seems to have no purpose if it is held up in storage.Throw it in the back of a ford festiva and off ya go,okay there has to be a park or gallery in town that can at least place it in a corporate enviroment,and get them to sprig for the instalation?Im another of a long list of fans for EV's sculpture,and he is always producing no matter what and I can definitly relate to that.....Ya ,a trip to the Ranch is definitly in my futrure plans,I know my kids would love it too,and there is nothing like viewing 100 plus works to get that spark of motivation burning on max.................IA

[Duck]

There could be huge earthen snake sculpture out there 100 meters long and it would never be seen from the road you drive through on.
Thatch

What a wonderful collection of sculpture!

But Johnson City?? :eek:
I’d like to know the number of visitors that do the “Drive Bye” a month…I read once that museum art gets a whopping 20 seconds of viewing before moving on to the next piece.....

Sculpture Ranch speed limit 20 mph :D

[iron ant]

Hey why not,it's a ranch in Texas,not corporate concrete and glass Dallas.I received the same reaction from the ATL crowd when I moved my studio and sculpture garden to the Mountains in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Ellijay,GA 12 years ago.Know the Atl crowd groans with envy while they sit in traffic,breath bad air,and have there homes locked down like jails,so why not Johnson City.makes it more unique in my eyes.

[Lorraine Benini]

Thousands of visitors visit the Benini Sculpture Ranch each month. We are one hour from Austin and San Antonio, located in the beautiful Hill Country of Texas. What we hear a lot from visitors is the drive from the city is a great prelude to allow the city dust and city stress to melt away. We also know people are surprised to find all the great sculptures and paintings when they arrive. You sculptors are especially welcome to visit! We are still doing site clearing and preparation. We do suggest pieces be at least 12 ft. tall for the environment...and they must be powerful to withstand strong winds.