Throckmorton artist building kid-friendly buffalo skull for Abilene's Frontier - Abilene, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 32° 26.974 W 099° 43.657
14S E 431609 N 3590501
No bull this time, it's all buffalo.
Filling almost a quarter of the floor space in his studio, Joe Barrington has been creating a larger-than-life replica of a buffalo skull for Frontier Texas! in Abilene.
Waymark Code: WMR85Z
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/25/2016
Views: 2
Abilene Reporter-News
Barrington started on the sculpture April 1 and said he expects it to be done in time for the Children's Art and Literacy Festival June 14.
Frontier Texas! Executive Director Jeff Salmon said the buffalo skull will be installed on the eastern side of the museum's parade ground. The sculpture will be set into a slight hill so as to give the appearance of being partially buried.
H.C. Zachry coordinated the commissioning of the artwork. He said the model for the sculpture is the real skull of a 12-year-old buffalo bull on loan from restaurateur Tom Perini.
Zachry said one criteria for the piece was crucial — children should be able to climb on it. He said the parade ground is used by some families as a sort of "decompression chamber" for people traveling with children. Giving those children something to climb around on enhances that use.