Aberdeen Angus Bull: Galawater Bold King (British Champion Animals Collection)

Description

Champion Aberdeen Angus Bull, Galawater Bold King

Sire: Wedderlie Ebony.   Dam: Galawater Barbara Kim.

Champion Junior Yearling Bull – Royal Highland Show 2006

Junior & Supreme Champion – Perth  2007

The opportunity arose to sculpt Lord and Lady Bamford’s prize bull, Galawater Bold King, bought the previous year for the princely sum of 15,000Gns. So I travelled over to their estate in Gloucestershire to see him. Though still a young bull, Bold King was quite an animal – very long in the body and already carrying considerable bulk through his chest, neck and shoulders. Though not in show condition [before bulls are shown they are given extra rations to add mass] I was particularly taken with his head; it was so full of character that I decided to sculpt a head study, exactly as he looked out in the field. Estate Manager, Richard Smith helped manoeuvre Bold King into position while I took the necessary reference photographs and measurements, after which I returned to Devon to start sculpting.

Sculpting a head study enabled me to really go to town on all those fascinating little details that distinguished Galawater Bold King’s characterful head from any other Angus. The work went well and I was soon able to take the finished clay to the foundry.

There really was only one possible patina for the final bronze – Glossy, glossy black!