CLASSICAL SCULPTOR GOES TO THE DOGS!

Eureka Springs sculptor, Mel Shipley, has gone to the dogs!  He has long been known for his traditional classical bronze sculptures of the human form. Now he has chosen to deviate from his usual subject matter to produce a limited edition series of whimsical canines.

The sculptures feature man’s best friend enjoying a thrill that only dogs experience when their heads are hanging out the window of a moving motor car or truck. Mel’s pooches, ears flying in the breeze, appear to be ecstasy in motion driving down the road in their own set of “wheels.” Best of all, they are in the driver’s seat  in control, on their own and loving it!

The artist has his studio in Eureka Spring but his work is collected all over the U.S. and Canada. He has completed numerous commissioned works for both public and private installations including The Arc of the Covenant” sculpted in Biblical size for a chapel in Tampa, Florida. Locally, the sculpture “Michael”, a young Irish stone mason who plunged to his death while building the Crescent Hotel can be viewed in that hotel lobby here in Eureka Springs. Michael is reported to be one the resident ghosts there.