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Known for his fine craftsmanship, James Mellick’s metaphoric and decorative sculptures combine an understanding of animal behavior and anatomy with structural engineering. His dogs, birds, horses and other animals are beautifully sculpted and often found in combination with each other. In each circumstance, these pieces act as totems or social commentaries, drawing attention to the unique beauty of the animal or the importance of a personal concern.
Mellick earned his MFA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 1973, and has continued to teach and exhibit extensively since then. From 1989-1991 he taught sculpture at Calvin College, and both this piece as well as Northwest Indian Macaw were purchased from him during that period.
He writes about this work, “this is the moment Leonardo Da Vinci attaches his faithful but wimpish Italian Greyhound, “Boneninni,” to one of his gliders and tests his theory of flight from the balcony of his studio. Da Vinci’s dog is a forerunner to all the monkeys and dogs sacrificed for the exploration of space and the research for medicine. How could his master betray him, leaving him vulnerable to the high technology of his day? Why did the sun melt the wings of Icarus? Why did the space shuttle Challenger explode? How dare the technology we trust turn against us!”