Art and the Animal Kingdom

ONE OF THE BEST aspects about living in the Pacific Northwest is the landscape. Not only are the lakes, trees and mountains breathtaking, so too is the wildlife. As a Southern California native, my experiences with animals living in the wilderness consisted largely of lizards, opossums, and the occasional ocean sighting of a dolphin or seal. It wasn’t until I moved to Washington that I saw an eagle in the wild.

Given the landscape and animals found in this part of the country, it’s fitting that Kirkland has a number of public sculptures dedicated to wildlife. Did you know that three of the city’s most popular animal sculptures are by the same artist? I didn’t either. You’ve probably passed the bronze sculpture of bunnies in the downtown core, titled Close Quarters. The sculpture is now owned by the City of Kirkland, but was originally loaned to the city by Bill Ballantine. These two bunnies create the perfect photo opportunity at the corner of Lake Street South and Central Way. The bunnies are larger than life, nestling against each other, with one rabbit facing forward, the other facing in the opposite direction. Although the rabbits are seemingly interconnected through their close embrace, I have always found the “facial expression” of the rabbit facing toward the sidewalk to be rather intense, even verging on scary. It’s as if his carrot was stolen and he’s looking for revenge! This work, along with Bounding Mule Deer (Carillon Point, Lake Washington Blvd. and Lakeview Drive) and Mountain Comrades (Kirkland Ave and 3^rd Street, also originally loaned by Bill Ballantine) are by Dan Ostermiller.

Ostermiller, a native of Wyoming who now lives in Colorado, is a sculptor who plays off of animal forms and movements both in large and smaller scale work, typically made of bronze. The son of a taxidermist, Ostermiller’s influences include childhood experiences working alongside his father, in addition to his world travels, particularly to Africa and Alaska.

Of the three Ostermiller works in Kirkland, my personal favorite is Bounding Mule Deer, for its intensive sense of drama and motion. I have to say that I also like the way it exists on its own little island; the deer perpetually in dialogue with one another will leaping through the air.

Art has an interesting way of bringing people together and creating dialogue. Now, if only those deer could tell us what they are thinking as we drive past…