A large sculpture doesn't just happen, it has to be planned and then executed with precision.  I think Bob Pack would agree. 

   In the seventh Chautauqua talk Bob Pack, a Sugar Land artist and creator of many bronze sculptures in the Fort Bend area, gave the audience a glimpse of how his sculptures were conceived, but more specifically,he explained how they were made. Using slides, he displayed how the Stephen F. Austin sculpture came to fulfillment. Standing 18 feet tall and consisting of 4500 lbs. of bronze and an additional 700-800 lbs. of stainless steel supports, the development of this sculpture was no small task.

  In 1823 when Stephen F. Austin, the father of Texas, brought the original 300 American families to Texas many settled in Fort Bend County and some were located in what is now Sugar Land.  A characteristic of these land grants was each bordered the Brazos River.  How fitting then the City of Sugar Land and Planned Community Developers, LTD would commission a bronze sculpture of Stephen F. Austin crossing the Brazos River for the focal point of Sugar Land Town Square.  

   In early 2002 Bob Pack began work on the Austin sculpture which shows Austin riding a horse while struggling to pull a pack horse through deep water.  Bob explained he wanted to display the perils the early settlers must have endured.

Good art will arouse feeling but it also must meet client expectations.  As Bob explained in the initial stages of this artistic endeavor, there were conceptual sketches followed by client reviews.  When the sketches were approved a maquette or small preliminary model was crafted.  Only upon approval of the maquette could work on the full scale structure begin.  

    A CAD/CAM machine was used to scale-up the model to a full size foam form.  After weeks of clean-up and further preparation, the full size model was cut into 17 pieces to create ceramic molds small enough to permit the pour of molten bronze.  The statue was assembled, sand blasted and a patina or finish applied.  Upon completion it was loaded onto an 18-wheeler departing Santa Fe, New Mexico, for Sugar Land.  

    The monument of Stephen F. Austin crossing the Bazos River became a reality in a setting of water jets and moss rocks.  This monument was dedicated on November 13, 2003.

   Bob also discussed his other sculptures in our area: "The Guardian" statue in front of the Sugar Land Police & Municipal Court building, the "Hilmar Moore" statue on Morton St. in Richmond, TX, "Christ, the Good Shepherd" statue at Sugar Land First United Methodist Church  and many settings of mallard ducks and deer in the Riverstone subdivision.  He has also created many bronze sculptures of golf legends such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

  At the end of his presentation there was a question and answer period when Bob was asked why he used bronze for his sculptures instead of some other material.  Bob replied, "Permanency, because bronze will last outdoors for hundreds of years if it is well maintained."

    When Michelangelo was asked how he created his sculpture, he replied that the sculpture resides in the block of marble and all that one has to do is take away all the pieces that surround the sculpture.  Ah, but it is more than that.  Michelangelo also had to select the marble and was responsible for getting it transported to Florence, Italy.

   Somethings never change. We all know art has the ability to touch our emotions, and we can only imagine the skill an artist must have, but as Bob so completely explained, it involves more.  In short the artist has to be a craftsman, a salesman,  and a project manager.  

   It took many workers to make the Stephen F. Austin monument, and it was under the direction of Bob Pack that the work progressed.  After the presentation I asked Bob what he was working on now. He replied, "I have several projects that I am working on pertaining to private commissions."  I believe it is no mistake that Bob refers to his sculptures as projects. It took a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of finesse to make this "project" come together.   And, yes, I think it took a lot of love too!