Article on the front page of the Cody Enterprise the photos are of my very first bronze ''SPINNING AND WINNING '' and my life size T Rex
RENDEZVOUS ROYALE PREVIEW: Atop the art world
Checking out a how-to book from the library is not how most distinguished artists get their start, but it worked for this year’s Honored Artist Chris Navarro. In the late 1970s, Navarro and a friend stopped by Harry Jackson’s studio in Lost Cabin and saw the sculpture “Two Champs,” a portrait of the horse Steamboat and rider Clayton Dank. “It was the most breathtaking thing I’d ever seen,” he said. Navarro, who lives in Casper, decided he wanted to try the art medium, so he went to an art supply store and then to the library to check out a book about sculpting.
“Then I started sculpting,” he said. “I didn’t have any idea what it took when I started. I was naive and that was a good thing because bronze is a tough medium to break into.” Navarro was able to make his mark in the medium though, and has been part of the Buffalo Bill Art Show since the 1990s. He is privileged to be this year’s Honored Artist. “I’ve been a professional for over 30 years and this is the biggest honor of my career,” he said. Growing up, Navarro was focused on a rodeo career and earned a scholarship to compete for Casper College. But injuries in his early 20s led him to step away from riding rough stock. “I wanted to be a pro bull rider but I got that beat out of me,” he said. “But when I stopped, I felt like something was missing.” It was not long after he discovered bronze sculpture and got to work. He cast his first bronze in 1980 and sculpted on nights and weekends after work. On March 13, 1986, he quit his corporate oil field job to pursue his dream of becoming a professional sculptor. His son JC was 9 months old and his wife Lynne was pregnant with their daughter Natalie. “I wanted to do something for a living that I had a passion for,” he said. “I thought if I put in the effort I could make it.” Navarro is best known for his large monumental sculptures. He has more than 28 placed throughout the country including that of world champion bull rider “Champion Lane Frost” in Cheyenne. Other works include “Spirit of the Thunderbird” at Casper College and “20 % Chance of Flurries” at Colorado State University. He recently installed a life-size tyrannosaurus rex “Essence of Rex’’ for the Tate Museum in Casper and a bronze of the famous bucking horse Steamboat for the University of Wyoming. “I like to tell a great story,” he said. “I don’t put any limits on the subject, I just want people to be inspired.” The creation of monuments is extremely time consuming and labor intensive, requiring an initial design and clay model. The model is then cast in bronze through the lost wax method. “It’s a permanent medium and is so strong and durable I’ve seen a bronze survive a house fire,” he said. “To know that my work will be standing in the sun long after I’m gone for future generations to experience and enjoy is thrilling.”
This is Navarro’s 24th year in the show and he’s thankful he’s still around to be part of it. A week after last year’s show, Navarro was in a full-speed horse wreck. He suffered nine broken bones, a collapsed lung and a concussion. He was Life Flighted to a hospital and was laid up for almost three months. Two months after the accident he was asked to be this year’s Honored Artist. “It was the first time I’d had some good news since the accident,” he said. In December, he began working on his piece for the show. “Buffalo Runner” features a bison on one side and a Native American riding a horse on the other. “It’s never been seen and will debut at the show,” he said. He said the Buffalo Bill Art Show is his favorite one to be a part of. He’s also participated in the Quick Draw for the last 20 years. “I’d never done one before and it was the quickest hour of my young life,” he said.
Navarro is the owner of Navarro Gallery and outdoor sculpture garden in Sedona, Ariz. He also shows his work with Big Horn Gallery in Cody, Deselms Fine Art in Cheyenne and Mountain Trails in Jackson.
LECTURE SEPT. 24
Chris Navarro will give the Honored Artist Lecture on Friday, Sept. 25, 2-3 p.m. at the Coe Auditorium. The presentation “Embrace the Struggle” is free to the public. “I want it to inspire people,” he said. “When I started I had very little going for me but I kept going. I have the best job in the world.” Navarro also was asked to design jewelry for this year’s show. He created a bolo tie, bracelet and belt buckle using the horse Steamboat as his inspiration. The pieces can be purchased at
buffalobillartshow.net
