Pat Sahlin
has been working professionally with dogs for nearly 40 years. In
1986, after deciding that field photography didn't always capture
the full essence that she was looking for, she turned her hand to
sculpture, first in wood and later into clay statues that could be
reproduced as bronze and cold-cast bronzes. Since that time, her work
has been shown in leading sporting galleries across the U.S. as well
as in London, Japan, and Greece. Her work has appeared in Gundog magazine,
Pointing Dog Journal, Field Trial Magazine, Dog Fancy, on the cover
of Sirius (from the AKC Museum of the Dog) and multiple times in the
Art Show at the Dog Show, Wichita KS; AKC Museum of the Dog Artist's
Registry Shows; and Art Show at the Dog Show, Spokane WA. As well
as being in many private collections, Pat's sculptures have graced
the trophy tables for championship events and field trials across
the U.S. and around the world, as well as many banquet events for
Quail Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and Ducks Unlimited.
When asked how she decides to do a sculpture or what contributes to
it, she answered "There's no one thing that I can say will get
me going on a new piece or want to use a particular dog for a model.
I may be going along minding my own business when I see a dog or a
photo of one, and say 'Oh, Wow!' It's just something that clicks.
I once saw a remarkable Chessie in the back of a truck in the town
near where I lived. He took my fancy, and the next time I saw him,
in the truck parked by the side of the road, I approached a group
of men nearby and asked who owned the dog. I'm sure the owner thought
I was crazy, but he was nice enough to set up a photo shoot and my
Chesapeake head study was born. The dog had never been in a show ring
or retriever trial. He was just a terrific dog with a really expressive
face. He didn't want to cooperate for the photos and they kept coming
up dull and flat, until the owner reached for his shotgun. Buck snapped
to life with all the intensity I'd seen earlier, and I easily got
the photos I needed. I see a dog like that and my fingers begin to
get twitchy about it. It may be a week or a year or even more, but
eventually I won't be able to stand it until I've tried to capture
that 'specialness' in a sculpture."
Although now semi-retired, Pat still likes to keep her hand in with
a new sculpture now and then, as illustrated by the new Pointers.
All the dogs are produced by hand, by the artist, in cold-cast bronze
and are limited to editions of no more than 99.
