Artist Statement:
"I have always been fascinated with the human figure. I like the challenge of capturing the gesture, mood, and expression of my subject. I have learned that all great art starts with a strong composition that leads the viewer's eye through the abstract shapes while keeping him engaged. I try to combine all of these elements together to bring a sense of life to my work."
Blair Buswell
About
Biography
Blair has studied the skilled athlete in action and has used his artistic talents to sculpt famous sports figures of our day, including Jack Nicklaus, Oscar Robertson, Doak Walker, and Paul “Bear” Bryant. He is also well known for his portraiture and since 1983 has sculpted more than 110 busts of the inductees of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Blair was honored in 1990 as the Sport Artist of the Year by the United States Sports Academy; the first sculptor ever to be so honored.
Blair enjoys sculpting a wide variety of subject matter in a range of sizes. His pieces are displayed in museums, private collections, college campuses, sports complexes and fine art galleries nationwide. In Oklahoma City you can see two of Blair’s monuments; Mickey Mantle at Redhawks stadium as well as Charlton Heston at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Over the last decade Blair has been even busier than usual. In addition to his annual Hall of Fame portrait work, he installed a larger than life size standing figure of NFL Hall of Fame football player, Merlin Olsen at Utah State University in Logan, Utah and a twice-life size figure of General Robert Neyland in Knoxville at the University of Tennessee football stadium which bears the General’s name. He also installed an 8’ figure of Coach John Wooden at the entrance to the renovated Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA; two monuments honoring the Texas A&M Marching Band and Corps of Cadets at Kyle Field in College Station and a 9' figure of Tom Benson at the Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton Ohio.
A member of the Northwest Rendezvous Group, Blair is also a Fellow and former board member in the National Sculpture Society, and by appointment from the Governor, served for three years on the board of the Utah Arts Council.
His traditional training has prepared him well, and Blair continues to push himself to learn new skills and techniques. In a collaborative effort, he and fellow sculptors Ed Fraughton and Kent Ullberg have produced larger-than-life-size works for downtown Omaha Nebraska honoring and commemorating the Westward bound pioneers of the mid 19th century. Blair and Ed’s part of this project was the creation of a wagon train, one city block long. Blair accepted this new and daunting task as yet another opportunity to broaden his skills. Along with his figurative and portrait work, he has now sculpted mules, oxen, horses, and other animals. He loves the old west and is excited to have had the opportunity to permanently capture its spirit as exemplified by the early pioneers. In 2014 he as asked to add to the overall story of the frontier in Omaha. This will be another eight to ten year, multi figure project, the majority of which will represent the Native Americans of the area.