One Handsome Frog

Sculpture by Ellen Woodbury

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Red Travertine

on Walnut and Travertine Base

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14 x 12 x 12 inches

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completed August, 2008

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"One Handsome Frog" was completed shortly before Sculpture in the Park, 2008. I never found the time to post this sculpture until now as I was racing to meet the show deadline and then was on to the next project. Here, finally, is the frog.

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This is the first sculpture in a series I am carving on endangered species. Frogs and amphibians are disappearing on every continent in the world due to the rapid spread of a skin fungus called khytrid, which spreads through water. National Geographic published an article about the plight of the world's frogs and amphibians in 2008 and it depressed me completely to think of a world without these creatures. Then I started thinking about a world without polar bears and tigers and ocelots. These scary thoughts prompted me to begin a series on endangered species to lend some visibility to the precarious situation of these animals and to send out a hope that we can share the earth with them. This is no particular species of frog, but rather stands as a symbol for all frogs.

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The stone is Persian Red Travertine, the same stone from which I carved "Magic Lesson," the dragon which I posted at the beginning of this blog. The colored stripes of red, orange, and yellow, along with the many porosities (vugs) in the stone seemed appropriate for a frog skin. The "rose" on the frog's tummy was a gift from the stone and happened when I carved through these many-colored layers on the curve.

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The stone is the star in this sculpture, so I chose large simple shapes as the design elements to insure that the forms would read. Detail would have been lost in such a "busy" stone. I am particularly fond of the eyes on this frog as they lend a humor and appeal. I hope this piece expresses my feelings that these creatures are significant in our world and worth every effort to save them from extinction.

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Copyright 2009 by Ellen Woodbury

Photo by Jim Digby