Working Mom

$3,200.00

38/100
10 X 10 X 6
Bronze

In stock

Print Flyer

Customer Service 719-577-5744 or Email Us

b.1948

Deborah Copenhaver was born and raised on a cattle and quarter horse ranch in northern Idaho. Her father, a World Champion Bronc Rider, supported the family with his winnings. She and her younger brother Jeff grew up on the ranch often alone with their mother. Work on the ranch was shared by all and a life long passion for horses grew from those responsibilities. Competition was a way of life for the Copenhaver family. Deborah won barrel races before she was a teenager and was a member of the Girls Rodeo Association. Her brother Jeff roped calves and won calf roping competitions at an equally young age. It was at this time that Deborah sold her first drawings of horses.

Deborah spent her first year of college at Washington State University where she earned a full scholarship. That same year Deborah won the competition to become Miss Rodeo Washington and was Runner Up Miss Rodeo America. Her second year of college she transferred to Fort Wright College of the Holy Names in Spokane, Washington. There she met a nun, Sister Paula Mary Turnbull, who taught sculpture. At 19 she sculpted her first commissioned bronze for the city of Spokane, “James Glover.” Deborah received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree following study in Italy where her passion for sculpture came alive and now continues today.

She successfully owned and operated her own business Classic Interiors; this was an experience that honed her business skills. Yet, despite her success in the business world, the horses called. She and her brother loaded their horses and left Washington to compete in the winter rodeo circuit. By the second go-round of Houston and no winnings, Deborah loaded both horses and headed for Phoenix with just enough money to get to a friend’s ranch in Chandler. During this stay, she went to Prescott and met Ernie Phippen who ran a western art foundry. Her world came together. She went back home, gathered all of her belongings, and returned to Prescott to get a job as a head wrangler in a dude ranch. That year she cast her first bronze and started her art career.

Within four years, Deborah was commissioned by Gonzaga University to sculpt a monument of Bing Crosby. The project took her to Queen’s New York, to Roman Bronze Works, the foundry that cast bronzes by Charlie Russell’s and Frederick Remington’s bronzes. This was the first of many monuments that she would create.

It was during this period Deborah married and had her only child, Fabienne. According to Deborah, this was her “life’s greatest accomplishment.”

In the post Vietnam era, Deborah won competitions to create veteran memorials including the Inland Northwest Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Montana State Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Washington State Korean War Memorial. She also received commissions to do monuments of Henry Kaiser, James Irvine, Frank Erwin of the University of Texas, and created a monument for The Boy Scouts Of America.
In the last decade, Deborah’s life and career have reached new heights as she has returned to her original inspiration source, the American West. Living now in southern Arizona with her husband Fred Fellows, Deborah is devoted to creating fresh, original, and accomplished sculptures which express her heartfelt feelings for the Western way of life. Surrounded by splendid Southwestern scenery and a string of good horses, she is assured an ample source of inspiration for a lifetime.

Deborah Copenhaver-Fellows Sculpture, Bronze 10 X 10 X 6 (Interest categories: Bronze, Animal, Mother, Sculpture, Sculptures and Accent Pieces, Fine Art, Art Gallery, Deborah Copenhaver-Fellows Artist)

1971 James S. Glover Sculpture, Founding Father of Spokane, WA
Glover Junior High, Spokane, WA
1978 Bing Crosby Monument
Gonzaga, University, Spokane, WA
1979 Adolph Coors 1, Coors Industries, Golden, CO
1980 Benny Binion Bust, Hall of Champions, Colorado Springs, CO
“Legacy of Old West Trails,” Old West Trail Foundation
Rapid City, SD
1982 William Nefsy, First Security Bank, Miles City, MT
(also located in the Speaker of the House Office, U.S. Capitol Building)
1983 Inland Northwest Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Monumental 8’) Riverfront Park
Spokane, WA
1984 Tribute to the Cowboy (Monumental 12’ Equestrian) Horseshoe Casino
Frank Irwin (Monumental Bust) Irwin Performing Arts Center University of Texas Austin, TX
1986 Henry J. Kaiser (Monumental Bust) Kaiser Aluminum Corporation, Napa Valley, CA
Montana Vietnam Veteran Memorial (Monumental 14’ Sculpture) Missoula, MT
1989 Father Arthur Dussault (Monumental Bronze Bust) Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA
1990 Boy Scout Monument, Boy Scout of America, Diamond Lake, WA
Hecla Mining Company Centennial Monument, Hecla Mining Company
Coeur d’ Alene, ID
1992 Korean War Veterans Memorial, Capitol grounds, Olympia, WA
1994 Lady of the Sea Monument Anacortes, WA
1996 San Francisco Zoo Monument, San Francisco, CA
1997 James Irvine II Monument, Irvine Regional Park, Orange County, CA
2001 “Tribute to Ranching”, Santa Cruz Fairground & Rodeo Assoc.
Sonoita, Arizona
2006 “Giving Thanks” Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA
2007 “A Texas Legacy” monument, Museum of South Texas History, Edinburg TX
2008 Boy Scout Troop 325 Monument, Boy Scouts of America Spokane, WA
2010 Boy Scouts of America Monument Prescott Arizona
[wpdreams_ajaxsearchpro id=2]

OPEN

Monday – Saturday 9:30AM-5:30PM
Sunday: 9:30 AM-5:00PM

Workshop Materials List

1. Clay – Chavant Le Beau Touche. Get the regular clay, not HM (high melt).
2. Clay warming devices, a metal bucket with a clamp on heat lamp or 100 W bulb works great.
3. Tie wire.
4. Aluminum foil.
5. Scissors.
6. Favorite sculpture tools.
7. Plank of wood (pine) approximately 8″ x 8″ x 2″.
Bring as many planks as you wish…the wood is used as the base for your sculpture.
8. Plumber’s pipe, 1/2″ threaded: Bring several different lengths…up to 10″…not PVC pipe.
Plumber’s pipe T joint.
Plumber’s pipe couplers.
Plumber’s pipe flange.
9. Screws and screwdriver to secure the flange to wood…this may be done before you arrive. (Place flange in the center of plank)
10. Wire cutters
11. Needle nose pliers
12. Rubber mallet.
13. Spatula
14. Measuring devices such as rulers, measuring tape, dividers, and calipers.
15. Because we concentrate on BIRDS IN FLIGHT, live models in the classroom are more distracting than useful. I will demonstrate the technique of constructing a cantilevered bird armature that can be used for many different bird species and will show you how to assemble shapes to capture the “gist” of the specific bird.
16. Bird field guides such as Peterson, Stokes, Golden, or Sibley. Sibley’s Guide to Birds (not Sibley’s Guide to Bird Life and Behavior) is best if bringing only one field guide. This popular book can usually be purchased at any bookstore.
17. Bring your laptop to the class if possible.
18. Bring your sketchbook.

1 Lake Circle Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906
broadmoorgalleries.com