Sculpting
Spirits of the West
by Annaliisa Vilppu, editorial
assistant
Horses
lounge in the sun. Oak trees cloak the meandering road. Driving into Placerita
Canyon feels like entering a forgone era entirely and sculptor Norm Greengard
couldn’t be more in scene.
The hills of Placerita, filled with Gold Rush ghosts, are his backdrop, as
Greengard breathes life in the Wild West into bronze.
Dynamic is an understatement. Nostrils flared, muscles taught, wild horses crash
down an embankment, forever frozen in flight, in Greengard’s piece “Untamed
Thunder.”
“I try really hard to tell a story with the bronzes,” said Greengard, who began
sculpting in 1998 at age 40. Greengard isn’t at a loss for stories, either. He
knows as much about the Texas Ranger he sculpted for “Business End Of A Big
Iron” as Louis L’Amour would. Describing the Ranger’s life-threatening
predicament, Greengard’s glow rivals the bronze’s lustrous patina glaze.
“My goal is to have the bronze catch your eye, and the emotion and feeling of
the piece capture your imagination,” Greengard said.
Greengard borders on prolific considering he spends his days in a firehouse, not
his sculpting studio. It’s ironic that Greengard, a Los Angeles Fire Department
captain, has spent his career fighting the very force that creates his art.
Just
a few miles from the Oak of the Golden Dream, Greengard’s home belongs on the
plains. High-vaulted ceilings, amber-colored wood floors, a palatial 4,200
square feet, this house is another piece of art from Greengard’s hands. He had
help building it, barn-raising style.
A homesteader at heart, Greengard has always loved the Old West. The Cowboys and
Indians battling on the walls of his living room were there long before he began
his bronze work.
Considering Greengard’s passion, it’s hard to believe he didn’t begin sculpting
until mid-life. Pointing at his first piece, Greengard said, “It took my whole
life to figure that one out.” The wading fly fisherman is indistinguishable from
the master craftsmanship of his other bronzes. Greengard admits even he was
surprised with the outcome. He asked himself, “Where did that come from?” and
adds, “If you want something bad enough [it will happen].”
With no formal art training besides the high school art class he hated,
Greengard started his first bronze with a nudge from long-time friend Con
Williams, a bronze sculptor in Montana. After a 10-minute introduction to
sculpting and a list of materials from Williams, Greengard jumped into that
first bronze and hasn’t stopped since. It could be in the genes, considering his
mother is a pen and ink artist.
Greengard doesn’t watch television. Instead, he devotes all of his free time to
his sculpture. On average, he spends a month and a half on one piece, sculpting
with non-hardening clay. Greengard’s bronzes are then professionally cast using
the lost wax process in Montana.
When depicting historic characters, such as Texas Rangers or Pony Express
riders, Greengard tries to be as accurate as he can with the documentation
available, which is sometimes few.
Greengard lets his imagination do the rest. He said, “An art lover should be
inspired by the piece and feel the emotion of the sculpture.”
To experience and further appreciate Greengard’s art, visit
www.bronze-artist.com.
