Photo by Gary Ogilvie

PENDLETON — World-famous sculptor Austin Barton has been commissioned to create the bronze bucking horse made famous by the Pendleton Round-Up logo for the Centennial Plaza project. The artist is also creating a limited edition series of 100 28-inch replicas of the statue for sale to Western art collectors and fans of the Round-Up.

The sculptor was raised in the Snake River and Wallowa Valley of Eastern Oregon, giving him an intimate knowledge of the Western way of life. His pieces are sold in galleries across the United States and his bronzes are in many private and corporate collections.

“I’ve admired Austin’s work for years,” Round-Up Director Tim Hawkins, who is chairman of the centennial committee, said. “When I approached him for a potential commission he was both flattered and excited. I didn’t think we would be able to afford an artist of Austin’s reputation, but he told me ‘I don’t charge for being famous.’”

Hawkins said that as Barton began work on the bronze he confided it may be the most significant piece he’s ever created.

“I was pleased,” Barton said of Round-Up approaching him to immortalize the bucking horse. “Over the years I’ve thought about approaching them to do it and I was honored they came to me. It was quite a job.”

Barton has enlisted his wife and daughters to help clean up the large statue, which is more than 14 feet tall and will stand on a 5-foot tall base. Meanwhile, one of the limited-edition smaller replicas is on display at the Pendleton Round-Up office on Southwest Court Avenue.

“Just imagine the smaller one seven or eight times bigger and that’s what it will look like,” Barton said. The larger statue will be placed on its pedestal before the 2010 Round-Up.

Hawkins said the response to the small statue has been amazing.

Photo by Gary Ogilvie

“We’re really pleased by the response to this piece already,” he said. “We have sold over 20 so far by word of mouth and having it displayed at the retail store and we haven’t even advertised it yet. We anticipate there will be great interest in this piece both in Pendleton and in the Western art world.

The bronze sells for $5,000 with a $2,500 non-refundable deposit required. It takes four to five months to make the 28-inch statue. Only 100 will be made. All proceeds from these sales will go towards completing the Centennial Plaza project.

The Pendleton Round-Up is held on the second full week of September every year. The 2010 Round-Up is the rodeo’s 100th anniversary. In addition to the four-day rodeo (Wednesday through Saturday), Round-Up week also features a concert, parades, an Indian pageant, Indian beauty pageants and a host of other activities.