PUPPY LOVE AT THE TOWNE ON QUEEN ANNE
We covered the new Towne mosaics a couple of weeks ago, and now it’s time to zero in on the bronze puppy sculpture that’s front and center in the courtyard:
The cute pup, with a nametag that reads “Boomer”, and a ball inscribed “Queen Anne 2014” is hard to miss – and I’ve already seen families, kids, and individuals interacting with the sculpture. Georgia Gerber, the artist for Rachel the Pig at Pike Place Market is the puppy’s creator, with some help from her husband Randy Hudson and several studio assistants, Boomer came to life and settled on Queen Anne.
Why a puppy? According to Gerber:
“Queen Anne has a great love for dogs in their community. The piece also needed scale for the plaza it was to be located. The extra large puppy with ball was a good fit for this site. It is a one of a kind piece specifically for this project.”
The puppy is sizeable, weighing in at about 350 pounds. Larger than life, he was scaled by Gerber to be an appropriate size for the large Towne courtyard, but not so big that he’d be intimidating for children. Ideally, kids will interact with both the puppy and the ball, climbing and sitting on it are encouraged and enhance the experience.
Gerber, with help from Hudson and studio assistants Victor Ramos and Virginia Keck made the puppy in sections, you can see the bronze being poured in the photo below by Randy and Virginia:
Then, the finishing touches and he was loaded into a truck for the trip to his home on Queen Anne.
The developers of The Towne have ensured that the Queen Anne community has outdoor public art to enjoy, and the artists credit them with “making the plaza so inviting and community oriented.”
Gerber and team hope the puppy becomes a part of our community for everyone to enjoy. Check out the perch the ball provides, give Boomer a hug, and snap a photo!