''A MOTHER'S LOVE''

''A MOTHER'S LOVE'' there is no greater strength than the love of a mother for her young. cnavarroart.com

Chris Navarro one man show at the Nicolaysen Art Museum Casper,

Chris Navarro will have a one man show featuring 60 bronze sculptures and prints of monumental sculptures he has created.  The show opens at the Nicolaysen Art Museum Casper, Wyoming May 27 and runs through August 12, 2016. The opening reception June 2 on Casper’s Thursday Gallery Art walk at 6 - 8 pm. With an open to the public artist lecture on Saturday June 4 at 2pm. Chris Navarro will give an inspirational talk about his career and struggles from bull rider to professional bronze artist. With a book signing from his new book EMBRACE THE STRUGGLE. “I want to inspire people, with my artwork and story. cnavarroart.com

DUALITY OF THE BULL AND BEAR

DUALITY OF THE BULL AND BEAR 

Bronze, 6’’ x 15’’ x 8’’

This bronze represents the changes and cycles of the stock market. In a bull market, rising share prices encourage buying, while in a bear market, declining prices prompt selling. This is the first “reversible” sculpture that I have designed. By picking up and flipping over the sculpture, you are able to change the meaning of the design. From one direction, the bull dominates the bear. Flip it over, and the bear dominates the bull. The ability to switch the sculpture shows the duality and change of the bull vs. bear markets. cnavarroart.com

THE BUFFALO AND THE IRON HORSE

THE BUFFALO AND THE IRON HORSE

Bronze, 9.5’’x 34’’ x 11.5’’

Two competing symbols of white and American Indian cultures, the “iron horse” and the buffalo, help explain the conflict and change on the Great Plains. By the 1880s, powerful, steam-belching railroad locomotives (or iron horses, as the Indians called them) replaced the near-extinct buffalo.  The advance of iron horses not only hastened the demise of the buffalo, but also forever transformed the environment and the lives of human animal cultures of the Great Plains. A culture and historical era that had defined life for Plains Indians for thousands of years came to an end as iron horses crossed the prairies where millions of buffalo once had grazed.

Between Heaven and Earth

Between Heaven and Earth bronze H-21.5’’ I have designed and incorporated a wall hanging relief of the moon to enhance the story and overall composition of the sculpture. cnavarroart.com

''SO THATS A DUCK''

'SO THATS A DUCK'' bronze H- 19''This week I will be posting works with a sense of humor in them and hopefully they will put a smile on your face. It is important to keep your sense of humor in all things. Humor is the armor that protects you in life. It is the great lubricant that makes the difficult things easier to bear. Be able to laugh at yourself and roll with the punches. cnavarroart.com

''THE GOSSIPS''

''THE GOSSIPS'' It is bad enough when others gossip behind your back but on it!
This week I will be posting works with a sense of humor in them and hopefully they will put a smile on your face. It is important to keep your sense of humor in all things. Humor is the armor that protects you in life. It is the great lubricant that makes the difficult things easier to bear. Be able to laugh at yourself and roll with the punches. cnavarroart.com

‘’ LOADED FOR BEAR’’

‘’ LOADED FOR BEAR’’ bronze H-24’’  This week I will be posting works with a sense of humor in them and hopefully they will put a smile on your face. It is important to keep your sense of humor in all things. Humor is the armor that protects you in life. It is the great lubricant that makes the difficult things easier to bear. Be able to laugh at yourself and roll with the punches. cnavarroart.com

WYOMING COWBOY

The last few weeks I have been posting images of monument competition and commissions I have lost and one’s I have won. It was a great honor to do a sculpture for my home state and the symbol of Wyoming, Steamboat. WYOMING COWBOY (2013) Monumental Bronze, 16’ x 11’ x 5’ Wyoming Cowboy is located at the entrance to the University of Wyoming’s Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center in Laramie. The silhouette of a cowboy riding a bucking horse has long been the symbol of the state of Wyoming. The cowboy astride a bucking horse represents the toughness, pride, spirit, and independence of the people, animals, and landscapes of Wyoming. My sculpture has been modeled after the great bucking horse, Steamboat. This famous bucker, bred in Wyoming, was voted Worst Bucking Horse of the Year at the Cheyenne Frontier Days celebration in 1906 and 1907. Steamboat was jet black with three white socks and had a powerful build. When he was a colt, Steamboat sustained a broken bone in his nose that caused him to make a whistling sound when he bucked, and that is why the cowboys gave him the name “Steamboat.” The old-time cowboys said the horse would buck his heart out and wouldn’t quit.
cnavarroart.com

TREE OF LOVE

TREE OF LOVE (2005) 
Monumental Bronze, 9.5’ x 4.5’ x 2’
The white dove has long been the symbol for love and peace, and the tree has always represented the regeneration and cycle of life. I created this piece for the Central Wyoming Hospice program as a fundraiser and to commemorate their 25th anniversary. The nine and one-half foot tall bronze has 25 life-size doves flying up and through the bronze silhouette of the tree.cnavarroart.com

''BEST FRIENDS''

''BEST FRIENDS'' (1997) bronze 46’’ x 60’’ x 30’’ The bronze memorial sculpture of Jason Eades located at Park Elementary school Casper, WY. Jason was a young boy who lost his life to cancer. His family started the Jason's Friends Foundation which helps and supports other families who have to deal with this horrible disease. When a child is diagnosed with a brain or spinal cord tumor or childhood cancer, the family suddenly faces unexpected medical expenses, numerous road trips for medical appointments and treatments and other financial hardships such as, loss of income. Before Jason's Friends Foundation, there was no organized help for these families in Wyoming. Jason's Friends Foundation ensures that Wyoming families will not lose everything they own simply because they have the misfortune of having a child with cancer. Jason's Friends Foundation provides financial support the family needs in order for the family to focus on one of the most emotional and critical challenges in life, having a child with cancer. Jason's Friends Foundation Phone: (307) 235-3421

RUFF & TUFF

RUFF & TUFF (1997) Monumental Bronze, 33’’ X 31’’ X 28’’

Two life sized brother and sister grizzly cubs play fighting. Reminds me of my two kids when they were young.  cnavarroart.com

SO THAT’S A DUCK & CAT PLAY

SO THAT’S A DUCK & CAT PLAY  Monumental Bronze, 19” X 54” I was commissioned by a humane society in Denver, CO to create a dog and cat sculpture to inspire dog and cat adoptions. They placed this bronze at the entry and I wanted to put people in a fun and good mood. Hopefully it made a difference and a few more adoptions happened. cnavarroart.com

ESSENCE OF REX

ESSENCE OF REX (2013) Monumental Bronze, 13.5’ x 28’ x 7’ 
This sculpture was commissioned by Mrs. Marialyce Tobin and donated to Casper College. She asked me to create a dinosaur with light radiating out from the inside. I wanted to do a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex. I decided the best way to have light radiate from the sculpture was to make one side skeletal while the other side would be fleshed out. Using LED lights I illuminated the piece from within, making the light radiate outward giving the sculpture a special effect. To bring it to life and to create that “wow” factor, I had to inject emotion into Rex. The sculpture is located at the entrance to the Tate Geological Museum in Casper, Wyoming. cnavarroart.co

PRIDE OF THE ROCKIES

PRIDE OF THE ROCKIES   Bronze, Monumental , 81’’ x 64’’ x 28’’

This sculpture is located at Glenrock Wyoming High School. It is a real honor to have my work located at schools and colleges. Natrona County High School, Saint Anthony School, Park Elementary,  Casper College, University of Wyoming, Air Force Academy, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College,and the new Shoshoni High School. cnavarroart.com 

BOLT FROM THE BLUE

BOLT FROM THE BLUE  Monumental bronze 72’’ x 32’’ x 1 6’’

Living mostly along mountain ranges, peregrine falcons combine amazing aerial agility with extreme velocity to make them the fastest animal on the planet clocking speeds in excess of 200 mph.  Known for its aggressive fearlessness and courage, it will defend its territory against all intruders. They have been known to attack and kill prey more than twice their size. Members from the first class at the Air Force Academy chose the falcon as the mascot of the cadet wing on Sept. 25, l955, in belief that it best characterized the combat role of the U.S. Air Force.  My father who was an Air Force Lt. Col., spent 30 years of his life in military service for his country. It is a real honor for me to have my monumental sculpture permanently placed at the Air Force Academy

''SACRED HEART OF JESUS’

''SACRED HEART OF JESUS’’ (2016) bronze 19’’x7’’x7’’ will become a twice life size monument height 17 feet to be dedicated at Our Lady of Fatima Casper, Wyoming June of 2017. I will be designing the Sacred Heart to have light radiating out from within the sculpture. cnavarroart.com

SALMON DREAMS

SALMON DREAMS (2006) Bronze, 9’’ x 5’’ x 5’’ 
Monumental Bronze, 32’’ x 70’’ x 38’’
Salmon Dreams is a special commission for a collector who has a beautiful gated entry to his home, and he wanted two grizzly bears guarding his property. However, the bears have fallen asleep on the job. I always create a maquette of the monument to first work out my design and composition. In the small-scale model, I chose to tell the story of the bears in a dream state. But, I wondered, what do bears dream of? Why not salmon, one of their favorite foods? So, I placed salmon, swimming, around the square sculpture base, giving it a surrealistic quality. cnavarroart.com