the john muir exhibit - collectibles - mountain muir
"Mountain Muir" - Sculpture of John Muir
by William James Pettee
This limited editon sculpture was installed in 2011 at the Holt Atherton
Library at University of the Pacific. The sculpture
was funded by Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-11th) and writer Martin Cheek (co-authors
of Clean
Energy Nation: Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels
Four John Muir sculptures
and busts available for purchase from sculptor Will Pettee.
Small-scale busts from the same sculptor are also available for your home: WJP
Studios John Muir Collection.
About the Sculpture
Title: Mountain Muir
Artist: Will Pettee
Dimensions: (with marble base) 18” tall
x 9” wide x 13” long
Material: Bronze from Lost Wax casting
Type
of edition: Limited
Number of pieces in edition: 21
Upon completion of the
edition, the mold will be destroyed. There will be no further editions made
of this image.
The Idea
The sculptor, William Pettee, explains his inspiration for creating this sculpture
as follows:
Yosemite has been one of my favorite destinations since I was a child, and as
homage to Mr. Muir, I felt inspired to sculpt him in bronze at that wondrous
location. The statue is intended to picture Mr. Muir as he stands upon a cliff
edge and looks out over the wonders of Yosemite Valley.
It was after my first climb to the top of Half Dome with my wife, that
I settled into what I felt would best represent John Muir. As I stood atop
that high granite formation above the valley floor, I could only imagine
how he would have felt being one of the first visitors to view the valley
from this high vista. His pose wasn’t based on any photo or the like, but rather
on my own stance as I viewed the breathtaking magic that is Yosemite Valley.
When I had the piece cast in bronze, the foundry asked me about the edition
number. At the time, I had originally intended it to be a one of a kind, but
I thought there might be more people in the world who, like me, wanted to be
reminded of John Muir daily; who wanted a tribute that said something about
who they wanted to be associated with; a tribute that could spark conversation
about the efforts and rewards earned for us all by this great man. So I decided
on a limited edition of 21 pieces…yes, John Muir's birthday.
Contact:
Will & Karen Pettee
WJP Studios:
(650) 366-7929 or Mobile: (650) 722-2088
Website: wjpstudios.com
email:Wjpettee1@aol.com
See also:
Nature's Prophet - Sculpture 2 of 2 by William Pettee
The Visionary -
John Muir at Age 34 (1872) - Bust 1 of 2 by William Pettee
The Inspiration
- John Muir at Age 52 (1890) - Bust 2 of 2 by William Pettee