"Art Books and Collectibles" Bronze Sculpture by Edd Hayes fine bronze sculptor

"Art, Books & Collectibles" Edd Hayes' Colorful Creations by Diane Parks

In 1991, when Texas artist Edd Hayes created a half-life-size bronze sculpture of a Texas Ranger, he decided one of his next projects would be a life-size version. Now, he's accomplished something even better, with the soon-to-be-completed sculpture depicted in the colors of this prestigious law enforcement group.

The Texas Ranger of "Watching Over The West" is attired in the authentic clothing he would have worn back in the 1870s, the artist explained. His shirt is dark blue, like the wool shirts worn by the Rangers then. Hayes had all the clothing and artifacts in his studio while he sculpted. "Everything is authentic." he explained.

Accessories include suspenders, a bandana and a badge plus the basic items Rangers carried at that time a knife, sidearm pistol and rifle. "He carries an 1872 Winchester .44/40 and his sidearm caliber was the same," Hayes says. "That way he only needed to carry one bullet."

The color on this sculpture is an added bonus, and it's a lengthy process to achieve just the look Hayes wants. "The color is actually etched into the metal," using chemicals and a pro pane torch at the same time. Different chemicals produce the different shades of color. "It's like in ceramics, when you apply different chemicals to get different colors, but there you can't see the color until it's fired." With this heat-applying process, Hayes says they are able to actually watch the color appear in the bronzes.

"It's a real tedious process," he says, noting that his foundry man is estimating that it will take three full days to complete the multi-patina effect for the life-size Ranger. Bronzing of a typical sculpture will usually take half a day at the foundry.

To prevent the "shiny plastic finish" Hayes doesn't want, a "mist" is constantly applied to maintain the matte finish of the piece. "I don't like the shiny plastic look," the artist says. "It looks like something other than bronze.

"I try to keep inherent the things people like about bronzes," he explains. "That's why the faces and hands are bronze. The chemicals are transparent so the bronze shows through."

Each piece in the limited edition will be numbered with an MP and Hayes is noticing that, with these multi-colored pieces, each one comes out different. Patina was applied at the same time to three of the gray horses in a recent limited edition, and "all three are different," the artist says. "That's what makes each an individual bronze - an individual work of art."

Regarded as one of the pre-eminent bronze sculptors in the country, Hayes has produced a sculpture of Casey Tibbs on a saddle bronc for the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, a bull elephant for the Republican National Convention in Houston, and the Legends of Rodeo Cowboys series from the 40s, 50s, and 60s for the Cowboy Hall of Fame. In Texas, he is probably best known for "Wild and Free." the six monumental wild horses that stretch 130 feet across the south entrance to Houston's Astroarena.

Hayes has sculpted wildlife with color including elephants, horses, and mermaids, but the halfsize Texas Ranger became his first of his western pieces to add color. "It turned out good," he said. "People reacted well to it."

Even though Hayes' works have included bronze sculpture that stood in the White House and will be part of the George Bush Library at Texas A&M, the Texas Ranger is definitely one of his favorite pieces.

"It's because of an ongoing interest I have in the Texas Rangers," the artist explained, "Through the years, I've had many friends who were current or retired rangers.

"I've always had an admiration for that group," he continued, adding that the Texas Rangers are considered the "most elite" of their profession. "They're even older than the Royal Canadian Mounted Police," Hayes says.