Call 620.933.2787 or email info@vernonfilleyartmuseum.org for more information or inquiries on purchases. This is a survey of works available in the current exhibition but does not include every piece. Please come visit us in person to see the full exhibition and experience the artwork personally while they are on display at The Filley! 40% of sales are donated to the art museum (which is tax deductible for those who purchase artwork during this show). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE
“Lean on Me”
11”x9”x14” Bronze
$
All of us are happier and more content if we have a friend, someone to share in our life’s events. One of my favorite sayings captures these feelings. It goes – “A sorrow shared is half a sorrow – A joy shared is twice a joy.” As I have observed my models throughout the years I have come to the conclusion that the same is true in the animal world. “Lean on Me” is my visual attempt to convey these feelings.
“Mongolian Mount”
11”x5”x14” Bronze
$SOLD
Several years ago the Denver Art Museum had an outstanding exhibit of Mongolian art. Included in this exhibit were some unbelievably beautiful saddles. As time passed I found myself thinking about these saddles – one in particular almost all of the time. I decided that I needed to sculpt a small version of this saddle. When the saddle was finished, I liked it, but without a horse it looked so incomplete. Mongolian horses are very tough but they are small. I felt that this saddle needed a larger horse so I put it in a Chinese type horse. After all – Genghis Khan did end up in China.
“Dee Dee and Libby”
12”x7”x13” Bronze
$
One July 4th, a friend who lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, called to tell me that her burro had just given birth to a darling baby. She knows that I can’t really resist a baby – especially a baby burro…so I packed a bag and headed for Cheyenne. The mother and baby were so wonderful I did a sculpture of them.
“Dee Dee and Libby”
48”x42”x48” Bronze
$
The Small “Dee Dee and Libby” was so well received that I made it life-sized.
“Stanley”
12”x7”x11” Bronze
$
I was invited to do an art show and do a sculpture demo in Estes Park, Colorado. I choose my Polish chicken as the model for my demonstration. The Demo went so well that the gallery asked me to stay and work on the sculpture the following day. Estes Park has a beautiful old hotel where the “Shining” was filmed. They happened to have a room available. So I took it. On my way to the hotel I heard the weather report. The night temperature was going to be very cold, so I covered the chicken and took him to my room. The hotel is the glorious, stately, Stanley. Since my chicken is stately and glorious and was a guest at this hotel, I decided he should have the same name, Stanley.
Robin J. Laws“Utter Love” 11”x10”x7” Bronze $SOLD In the early spring of 2000, I had gone to visit my mother. While I was there, she took me to see her cattle, particularly one of the cows who had recently had twin calves. The mother cow was busy licking one of the babies while the other baby was having lunch. My mother was so touched by the tenderness of the moment, she commented, “That’s utter love.” And so it was.
“The Mane Event”
7.5”x3”x6.5” Bronze
$
“Buckaroo Burros” 9”x13”x6.5” Bronze $SOLD
“The Swat Team”
10”x8”x12 Bronze
$SOLD
Summer in northeastern Colorado is usually hot, but the summer of 1997 was also humid, very humid. Flies must love this weather combination because they arrived in droves, making it miserable for animals. Every rancher found it necessary to provide some kind of relief for their livestock.
My three burros–Jennifer, Elizabeth and Libby—hate flies, so every other day I would wipe them down with fly repellant. One day, after what is locally referred to as a “gully washer,” I looked out to see my burros standing so close together that a piece of paper wouldn’t fit between them. They’re normally together, but never as close as this. I continued to watch and noticed that although they were standing side-by-side, they were facing in opposite directions: heat-to-tail and tail-to-head. After watching for only a short time, it became clear that the rain had washed off the fly repellant and the clever little animals were working together to fend off those nasty pests. No fly in his right mind would brave the gauntlet of switching tails, flapping ears, stomping hooves and flying dirt. It was a team effort and it was working. The winged blood-sucking villains had been outwitted. By “The Swat Team.”
“A Walk With the Kids”
9.25″x27″x10″ Bronze
$
Baby animals have boundless curiosity. Sometimes this curiosity leads them astray. Baby goats have more of this tendency than most and thy are great escape artists. A friend of mine has a gentle old mule. One Spring, this old mule came to the bar accompanied by two baby goats. The goats had escaped from an adjoining farm and were safely returned.
“Auggie & Spuds”
10.5”x11”x7.5” Bronze
$
Auggie and Spuds are two Burros who live with a friend of mine. When they arrived at her ranch, She invited me to come and meet them. It was love at first sight. They are so loveable in person. I hope that feeling has been captured in this sculpture.
“Shovel Burro”
10”x5”x12” Bronze
$
Burros were the “work horses” of the Gold Rush. Not only did they carry everything that a prospector needed, they were also devoted companions.
“Brahma Mama”
12”x6”x16” Bronze
$
In late Spring of 1995, I was helping friends of mine, Perry and Clara Fugate, check their cattle. We found one that seemed to have a badly injured, possibly broken, hip. Perry took her to a special pen while he was making sure that her feed and water were just right, when she suddenly charged. Although Perry was running as fast as he could, she was gaining with every step. She was just about to catch him when he dove through the fence leaving her pawing and snorting inside the pen, with no indication that there was anything at all wrong with her hip. Her defiance was incredible, her independent nature unbelievable. In all the excitement I couldn’t remember what position her ears were in when she was charging. I asked Perry if he remembered and he told me that he wasn’t looking at her ears. I asked him if she would charge again if he got back in her pen. He told me that, yes, she would and no he wouldn’t. I had to try to capture her attitude, so Perry gave me permission to use her as a model – but only if I promised not to get in the pen with her. As I worked, it was clear that her attitude and nature would remain unchanged. I have grown up thinking that a Brahma bull was the epitome of independence and defiance but after this experience, I think the bulls have relinquished their position to the “Brahma
“Big Mama”
8.5”x5”x13” Bronze
$
On a trip to Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, among the sculptures, were some Red Devin cattle. I found out that they are one of the oldest breeds and they originated with the Romans. Since I was pretty sure that I would never see another Red Devin cow, I did a sculpture of her.
“Liz”
8”x2”x8.5” Bronze
$
“Liz” was a small, frail looking burro, blind in one eye and complete with lice when I first met her at an exotic livestock auction. When the bidding started she looked so pitiful and so terrified that I bid on her. I had no more than raised my bidder’s card when the auctioneer shouted, “SOLD!” Liz was all mine. I took her home and started treating her “bug” problem, put her on a good feeding schedule, and gave her lots of attention. Today Liz is a beautiful, loving burro… She is also my good friend.
“Bo and Mac” 9.5”x5”x15” Bronze $SOLD Every Spring, rural American pastures have new babies everywhere; calves and colts in all shapes, sizes and colors. Bo and Mac were just two of these. They spent their days romping and enjoying each other’s company. Every new adventure was, at first, approached with curiosity and caution. When things were determined to be safe, exuberant jumping, running and kicking would erupt. I sculpted Bo and Mac while they were trying to determine if I was safe.
“ProngHorns”
13”x14.5”x6” Bronze
$
Pronghorn Antelope are a common sight on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They are the fastest land animal in North America. They are called an antelope, but they are actually more closely related to goats.
“ProngHorn Wall Hanging”
16″x14.5″x12.5″ Bronze
$
“One Gray Hare”
5″x7.5″x4″ Bronze
$
Robin J. Laws
“Just One Buck”
10.5″x7.5″x4.5″
$
“Just One Buck” was done as a tribute to my beloved friend, Buck Bunny. Buck was born on my farm in Spring of 1993. He was a gorgeous, gray color with fawn and peach highlights. As Buck grew it was obvious that he was a gentle and good natured bunny. I had such confidence in his qualities that I often took Buck to model for a sculpting class of first grade students. Buck seemed undaunted by the dozen of little hands stroking his soft, thick fur. He stoically sat on the table, twitching his nose and occasionally hopping over to one of the eager students for a closer look and an additional stroke from a little hand. There will never be another bunny quite like Buck—so, in this whole wide world there truly was—“Just One Buck.”
“Friend to Lean On”
$Sold 6.5″x6″x5″
“Friend to Lean On” Larger Size
13.5″x12″x9.5″ Bronze
This is a donor contribution piece: One million dollar donation to the Colorado School of Mines
“Our Lady of Guadalupe”
14.5”x3.5”x7” Bronze
$
A close friend of mine had to have knee replacement surgery. He chose to have both knees done at the same time. To help out, I volunteered to assist him. After one week, I decided he needed more help – possibly – a saint. So I sculptured one to help him. It worked. He is upright and moving.
“Hog Heaven”
26”x28”x25” Bronze
$
Robin J. Laws
“Skamper”
7”x9”x7” Bronze
Not for sale
On a warm day in March two baby Angora goats were born. The mother goat loved one of the babies, but the other baby she totally ignored. After several hours had passed it became clear that the mother goat was not going to accept the baby so I gave up and took the abandoned baby goat to the house. There, in a play pen in my kitchen, the baby goat snuggled into his new home. As he grew and gained strength, he started bouncing everywhere. He was so lively and energetic, I named him Skamper.
As Skamper grew, he went to many places that most goats never even get to see. He worked as a model for first graders. He pulled a goat wagon in parades. He even has his own limo to take with him to personal appearances. Through all this, Skamper has maintained a sense of balance; he has remained a true goat.
In the Summer of 1998, I realized that I only had photographs of Skamper. It was just time to do a sculpture of him, now, at 10 years old, Skamper does a lot of resting, chewing, and a lot of scratching. In fact, he reminds me of an old baseball player. This is how I like to see Skamper – just being a great goat.
“Goosed”
7.5”x3.5”x7” Bronze
$
Farm life is a busy life for a dog. There are so many jobs that need to be done every day – a never-ending array of challenges and opportunities. My dogs, Jake and Tucker, fancy themselves masters of the barnyard and never hesitate to take on additional responsibilities.
Morning begins with breakfast and Jake and Tucker make sure that everyone is in their proper place: first all mice must be chased out of the grain shed; then all cats must be on top of the hay stack; chickens must be in the chicken yard; ducks must be in their pond and peacocks must be in the nearest tree. All of this takes from 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon how difficult the chickens decide to be. When every one is properly positioned, feeding can begin. Horses and burros eat first, followed by the chickens, ducks, and peacocks. The last group to be fed re the goats and geese. They live together in the west pasture, which has the best fence on the place, so they are always where they belong.
One morning the stock tank in the west pasture had to be cleaned. Jake, who had only been a member of the farm family for about two months, accompanied me into the pasture. As I was cleaning the tank, Jake was in the middle of the pasture taking it upon himself to herd the geese back toward the water. All of a sudden I heard wild yelping. I looked up to see one terrified little dog beelining it toward a small hole under the gate, with one very large gander hot on his tail. All the other geese were in close pursuit. Wings were flapping…necks were reaching…fur was flying….
Jake made it through the hole in the nick of time and the only severe wound he received was to his pride. To add insult to injury, the geese strutted about the pasture shouting their victory loud enough for everyone in the barnyard to hear. How humiliating!
This was only one of the many lessons Jake would have to learn before becoming a “real” farm dog.
It also gave me a new understanding of the term “goosed.”
“Out in the Cold”
5″x8″x2.5″ Bronze
$
Robin J. Laws
“Sidekicks”
12.5”x11.5”x6.5” Bronze
Not for sale
When I was a small child, we lived in southern Mississippi near Biloxi. At that time, in many parts of the rural south, mechanization was not prevalent. (It was almost nonexistent.) Consequently many people still farmed with mules and some even used them to provide transportation. It was so common to see working mules that I came to the conclusion that in order to make a good living in this part of the world all you needed was a good mule and a couple of hound dogs for hunting. I hope “Sidekicks” captures the wonderful feeling of this way of life.
“Cat & Mouse”
6.5”x4”x7.5” Bronze
$
During the past 30 years, I have been commissioned to sculpt numerous animals. “Princess” was one of those animals. She was a beautiful, long haired, pampered and beloved house cat. I was positive Princess had never seen, let alone, caught a mouse. Boy was I wrong. Her owners reported that not only did she see the intruding mouse, she decided that it was the best toy ever provided for her. My best guess is that the mouse was escorted out. So for her sculpture I gave the mouse back to her.
“Security System”
5”x5”x12.5” Bronze
$
Norwich terriers are not only adorable little dogs and great companions, they are also a reliable alarm system.
“Passing By” aka Gettin’ Even
9”x6”x12” Bronze
$
My burros enjoy playing a game involving charging a flock of chickens, creating a massive chicken explosion. The Burros think this is great fun. I don’t think the chickens think it is great fun though. However, shortly after one of these episodes had ended and the burrows were once again peacefully grazing, a large rooster flow toward the unsuspecting burros. The rooster was almost alongside before the burro realized she was under attack. Roosters can’t fly too well so no harm was done but it was fun to watch the chicken get the best of the burro.
“Fowl Play”
12”x7”x16” Bronze
$Sold, more available for order in this edition
One warm Spring day while I was washing windows, I noticed that my three burros were huddled together, as though they were in deep conversation. A short distance away, a group of my chickens were gathered, scratching the ground and clucking with excitement that accompanies the discovery of a worm or two. As I watched, one of the burros charged toward the chickens who were still intent on their excavation efforts, not seeing the speeding burro until it was too late. Before my eyes there was a giant chicken explosion. Chickens were going everywhere – up – down and sideways. The charging burro pranced back to her comrades with all the arrogance of a conquering Roman Legion. For the next 20 minutes, the three burros took turns charging the chicken flock. It must have been great fun because each one would bray and kick her heels in the air with joy. I’m not sure the chickens enjoyed the game but they were good sports and kept grouping together so the burros could charge through, creating a kind of “chicken fireworks.”
“Headin Home”
10.5”x3”x15” Bronze
$Sold
Orders available
The sweetest time of the day is when you’re headin’ home. I know that this is the same for horses. You can see the contentment in their motion and in their eyes. Hopefully the sculpture “head home” captures this feeling.
“The Guardian”
42″x24″x30″ Bronze
Orders Only $
“THE GUARDIAN”
One Spring, I was checking a neighbor’s home and found that two raccoons had entered the home through a cat door. Since I was in charge of the house while they were away, I knew that I needed to somehow get the coons out. I went around to the front door, opened it, grabbing a broom went to the backdoor and started to “swoosh” the coons toward the open door. To my dismay, coons don’t “swoosh” well at all. In fact, they attacked! My home was about ¼ of a mile away and my dog Stomper was in my fenced yard. Golden retrievers are wonderful friends and the ones I have known have not been aggressive. In fact, they have been very passive, and Stomper was no exception. Until he heard me screaming as I was trying to defend myself with the broom. It was only a minute before Stomper came charging through the open door, grabbed one coon by the back of the neck and, in an instant, the coon was dead. The other coon realized what had happened and lunged toward Stomper. I knew my friend was going to be torn to shreds. Instead, Stomper caught the lunging coon by the throat, and that coon was also dead. The sculpture “The Guardian,” is a tribute to Stomper. I made him larger than life, because, to me, he always will be.
“Just For Kids”
20.5”x33.5”x21.5” Bronze (last available)
$
On a bitter, cold evening in February,1996 a friend and I were out in my barn checking on the progress of an old mare who had foundered. As we rounded the corner of the barn, my friend commented on how much better the mare was feeling because she was standing next to the adjoining pen sniffing a baby goat! Although several of my nanny’s had new babies, I had checked “Priscilla” that very morning and I was positive that she was not going to have a baby. Therefore, I had left her in with my two burros, my pony and my saddle horse. These larger animals had separated the mother from the minutes old baby. As we started toward the adjoining pen my pony grabbed the baby goat and threw it straight up. The poor little goat hit the rafters of the barn and fell back to the floor with a thud! I ran in and managed to get the big animals out. My friend grabbed the newborn kid—stuffed it inside her new down filled jacket and told me to “get a hairdryer.” After we dried the baby, we put her back with her mother. They were so happy to be reunited. The baby snuggled into her mother’s soft fur and the mother gently licked her new baby. It was very touching. The baby didn’t see to be adversely affected by her ordeal. In fact, I do believe that since she had never been born before, she thinks that—first you hit the ground—then you get tossed in the air and hit the rafters—then you hit the ground again—and then you’re here and life is great!
“Hog Wash” Bronze Fountain $ 47″x47″x47″
On a warm August day the daughter of a friend of mine was getting her three pigs ready for the county fair by giving them a bath. As the pigs sat in a large tub of water, she would get them all “sudzed” up and then rinse them off with a garden hose. When the job was almost finished, she had to leave to take a phone call. The garden hose was still running – so the pigs started playing with it. One thing led to another and by the time she returned, everything was soaked with water and the pigs were having a ball.
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