Almanack Contributor Frances Gaffney

Nationally recognized artist and naturalist George Bumann is serving as this summer’s Artist in Residence at the Adirondack Interpretive Center in Newcomb. George grew up outside of Syracuse and is a graduate of SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, which operates the Interpretive Center. Because he spent time in Newcomb as an undergraduate, this residency is a kind of homecoming.

Based in Montana, George has the unique privilege to live in Yellowstone National Park. He is surrounded by his subject – immersed in a landscape populated with wild animals. Working in clay and bronze he captures the nature of wild animals with information and insight gathered from direct experience. It’s astonishing that George does not work from photography and sometimes sculpts out-of-doors from the back of his car. In George’s view photographs are flat and cannot give information from every angle the way working from life can. When asked about how animals are constantly in motion he said when the animal changes position, he simply rotates his sculpture. I don’t know any other artist who drives around with a roadkill kit but George gets very excited about describing his kit and the wonderful data he gathers with it. How else could one touch a grizzle bear except after its death? While in the field he makes full use of these rare opportunities to measure every length of bone to bring accuracy to his sculptures. » Continue Reading.