ã1990 by Ross Matteson   silver & bronze    18 x 12 x 11 inches   Original    Private Collection

Gyr is a unique polished silver casting from a bronze edition of the same name. The bronze edition was originally commissioned by the mother of a close friend of mine, as a gift for her son.    She gave me a year advanced warning and stipulated only that it be a falcon with dark eyes.   Her trust in what I would come up with inspired me to do this piece which went on to both win awards and get placed in collections ranging from grade schools to palaces.

The gyrfalcon, as a species, is a widely respected, supreme predator of the Arctic.   This view of Gyr shows that both the support form and the falcon form have been composed to help animate the falcon into flight.    (next sculpture)