Sculptor's art worth 'giving thanks' over

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

Sculptor Deborah Copenhaver-Fellows looks over her latest piece of artwork, named Giving Thanks. She will use this piece as a model for a life-size sculpture. -- Photo by Mindy Poehl

April 14, 2005 - Her hands are her tools. Her eyes must capture the details. She must be extremely patient.

Deborah Copenhaver-Fellows is a recognized sculptor throughout the United States. Living in Sonoita, Arizona Fellows sculpts small scale and monumental pieces. And, many of her works can be seen in private collections, universities and memorials.

"I sculpt in clay and cast in bronze," Fellows explained. "I mainly sculpt equestrian art with men and women, pioneer and contemporary western pieces. I've been known to sculpt a lot of women. My past is full of war memorials."

Fellows sculpts from her life experiences. She was raised on a ranch in the mountains of Idaho, where her family raised cattle and horses.

"We did everything around there," she said. "I grew up loving animals. When you are in a situation to raise livestock, that becomes part of your life."

In fact, her brother, Jeff Copenhaver, was a world champion calf roper. And, her father, Deb Copenhaver, was a world champion saddle bronc rider.

Fellow's most recent work of art is called Giving Thanks. It features a rancher from the 1870's sitting on a horse, holding his hat and closing his eyes while tilting his head down. Right now, the piece of art is half-life size and it took Fellows three months to create it. It will take three more months to be cast in bronze in Montana. She will then use the piece as a model to create a life size or larger than life size piece, which she will spend the summer working on.

Not only does Fellows use her life experiences in her work, but she also sculpts from life.

"It's important to work from life. I personalize a piece by model selection. For this piece I had a horse in the studio with me for six weeks," Fellows said. "It's important to do your research. The saddle, the tack and the hat have to be right. I even used a braided rope that they used in the 1870's. A lot of people make the mistake of not doing research. You must have the integrity of the piece."

Fellows also works using photographs and sketches. For Giving Thanks, a model sat in for a week while she sculpted the body and then she sculpted a different model's head in a day.

Fellows sculpts in bronze because it is a mixture of copper and bronze that is very malleable.

"It holds up well and it is a user-friendly metal," Fellows explained.

To keep her large works of art sturdy, Fellows must create an armateur, or structure for the pieces. She creates a skeletal structure of the piece by using copper or aluminum wires. Once the skeleton is created, Fellows can begin sculpting, knowing where to fit each piece.

Fellows received her Fine Arts degree from Holy Names College in 1970. Her husband, Fred Fellows, is also a sculptor and a painter of western artwork.

"We met through the profession and we had a longstanding friendship," Fellows said. "We are both very active with our work. He gave me some advise early on. He told me there was an opening for pioneer art in women. So, I came back strong with the female side and effort."

Fellows has always loved art.

"I love to translate something I see into two-dimensional art. Sculpting was always easy for me," she said. "I knew that even if I was a woman, I could do it. I didn't have to be masculine. I knew I could do it. I like working with my hands and seeing the world through an artistic eye.

"The perception of the world is magnified through the eye of art. The artist's job is to magnify and hold on to the beauty of things. In metropolitan areas I often see people walking by in such a hurry and I wonder, 'What are they in a hurry for?.' I think they lose track of the beauty that God gives us, from sunrise on. If people are sensitive to art, then I think people are softer. It softens us and slows down life in some way."

Fellows has works of art in galleries located in Santa Fe, which is second in the art world to Paris, Tuscon, Scottsdale, Aspen, and Jackson and Cody, Wyoming. Fellows completes four to five pieces a year, preferring to stay focused on one thing at a time. She has also received awards for her work, but "just having my work in art galleries and shows is recognition enough," she said.