Longhorn Sculpture - Johnson City, TX - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

His name is Marathon. Marathon is one of the Texas Longhorn bull series of sculptures by Bettye Hamblen Turner. He is chromium plated steel, mild steel, stainless steel and recycled auto and motorcycle parts.

The carbon steel will attain a deep rust patina over time. All stainless steel and chrome pieces were welded using stainless steel wire with helium/argon/co2 gas in a MIG welder. This construction method prevents corrosion of those metals and the welds that connect them.

Turner begins the sculpture by fabricating a 2 ½” x ¼” pipe armature which dictates the posture of the bull. She next works from the ground up and the inside out, layering rust inside silver for visual depth. The stainless and carbon steel is new material which starts as flat sheets or rods. The recycled chrome is carefully cut and fitted from existing shapes much like constructing a puzzle. The size of the rods are chosen for their structural requirements and used as a varied thickness of line, as one would normally see in a drawing.

Turner shapes the steel pieces by hand into complex curves using both hot and cold bending techniques. Even the smallest pieces can require up to 40 discreet bends to describe the contour of the animal. The swirl motif common to her work is a metaphor for the strength and motion of these marvelous animals.

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Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Marathon Figure Type: Animal Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Bettye Hamblen Turner Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 2006 Materials used: Chromium plated steel, mild steel, stainless steel; Location: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   02/23/2013 WalksfarTX visited it 01/06/2010 texaschuckwagon visited it 05/10/2009 WTT-B2 visited it

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