One Handsome Frog
Please Call for Pricing
One Handsome Frog is a stone sculpture made of red travertine on a travertine and walnut base. The piece measures 14 x 12 x 12 inches.
From Ellen:
This is the first sculpture in a series I am carving on endangered species. Frogs and amphibians are disappearing on every continent in the world due to the rapid spread of a skin fungus called khytrid, which spreads through water. National Geographic published an article about the plight of the world’s frogs and amphibians and it depressed me completely to think of a world without these creatures. Then I started thinking about a world without polar bears and tigers and ocelots. These scary thoughts prompted me to begin a series on endangered species to lend some visibility to the precarious situation of these animals and to send out a hope that we can share the earth with them. This is no particular species of frog, but rather stands as a symbol for all frogs.
The stone is Persian Red Travertine, the same stone from which I carved “Magic Lesson,” the dragon which I posted at the beginning of this blog. The colored stripes of red, orange, and yellow, along with the many porosities (vugs) in the stone seemed appropriate for a frog skin. The “rose” on the frog’s tummy was a gift from the stone and happened when I carved through these many-colored layers on the curve.
The stone is the star in this sculpture, so I chose large simple shapes as the design elements to insure that the forms would read. Detail would have been lost in such a “busy” stone. I am particularly fond of the eyes on this frog as they lend a humor and appeal. I hope this piece expresses my feelings that these creatures are significant in our world and worth every effort to save them from extinction.
