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Artist & Designer |
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"I want this monument to honor all Americans, no matter what their race or creed."Shan Gray Artist & Designer of The American
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Artist & Designer
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The American Project is under the direction of nationally renowned sculptor Shan Gray, an Osage Indian and lifelong Oklahoman.
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 Shan Gray, the artist and designer of The American, lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, with his wife and daughter. Gray began his art career as a commercial artist; then in 1986, he turned to sculpting professionally and has since been recognized nationally for his style and talent.
Gray specializes in sculpting the human form, ranging from portrait busts and gallery sculptures to large-scale monuments. His creations are almost equally divided between independent and commissioned pieces.
Gray adopted an art style that has been used for hundreds of years to create the likeness of great men and women. "I am strongly rooted in the tradition of classical Renaissance sculpture," Gray said. "I have honed my technique so my work has the finish and polish of early Florentine work although some associate my pieces with the Baroque and Romantic styles."
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 Since he started sculpting professionally, Gray has built a reputation of bringing bronze to life that awes clients and spectators of all ages. "What it really comes down to for me is making sure I capture the detail accurately enough in the unmoving bronze and stone to carry off the illusion of bringing the monument to life."
Some of Gray's recent and significant works include a larger-than-life bronze of famed actor James Garner as the TV character Maverick; a bronze bust of William Bright, Ph.D., founder of Campus Crusade for Christ and winner of the prestigious international Templeton Award; and a bronze bust of world-renowned transplant surgeon and medical innovator Nazih Zuhdi MD.
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 In the world of sports, Gray sculpted an 18-foot 6-inch bronze statue depicting Olympic gold medalist Shannon Miller leaping in her balance beam routine. He also sculpted the Warren Spahn Award, given each year to the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball by the Oklahoma Sports Museum. Nine-foot 6-inch bronze statues of Hall-of-Fame baseball pitcher Warren Spahn by Gray have been installed at Turner Field, in Atlanta, Georgia, the Oklahoma Sports Museum in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and at Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma City. Also located at Bricktown Ballpark are recently completed busts of baseball legends "Super Chief" Allie Reynolds and Pepper Martin. A full-figure bronze of Heisman trophy winner Billy Vessels created by Gray is located at the University of Oklahoma.
The picture above displays Gray's larger-than-life bronzes of Oklahoma Miss America's Jane Jayroe, Susan Powell, and Shawntel Smith.
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