×
Los Caballos, William Matthews, 2019
SERVICES PROVIDED: Design coordination, Materials research, Budget management, Engineering coordination and oversight, Fabricator bid process, Fabrication oversight, Lighting design development, Shipping, Installation services, Scheduling, Project close-out.
For the new Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX Denver-based painter William Matthews’ created a stunning watercolor painting that captures the spirit and history of the American West. The original watercolor painting was translated into an eye-catching 63' x 12’ 2” mosaic smalti tile mural that sits above the south entrance of the 14,000 seat, 230,000 square foot Dickies Arena, adjacent to the Will Rodgers Memorial Campus. The mural commemorates the horse, first brought by the Spanish and now an enduring symbol of the American West, whose introduction to North America transformed the Great Plains and the West for both Native Americans and American pioneers. Set against an untamed landscape, the piece captures the movement of wild horses running among scrub and brush, set against rolling hills, mesas, and a storm-filled sky. We worked with the celebrated Mosaicos Venecianos in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where artisans pieced together more than 600,000 hand-cut glass tiles of 570 different colors to realize Matthews’ original watercolor painting with remarkable richness and vibrancy.
Flanking Matthews’ mural are two bronze bas-relief sculptures, further celebrating the significance of the horse in the history of the American West. The two 12’ 2” tall works were conceived from Matthews’ original composition drawings and sculpted by Texas-based artist Buckeye Blake, a member of the Cherokee Nation. On the left is a depiction of an early-day cowboy of the American West, skilled and confident. On the opposite side is a Comanche, considered the “Lord of the Plains” and master of the horse culture, brave, and graceful. Both figures, seated on horseback, serve as welcoming ambassadors to all visitors. The bas-relief sculptures were cast in bronze in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Check out the videos embedded below to see drone footage of the project during installation, and the short film created by Amie Knox and Chad Herschberger entitled Los Caballos: West Texas in Glass and Bronze.
