Lions in Prospect Park
If you hear reports that there are lions in Easton Park’s Prospect Park, don’t be alarmed – it’s just The Lion Family, the new sculpture by Texas artist Katherine (KT) Taylor. Featuring a mama lion with three baby lion cubs, the story behind this cast bronze sculpture is as intriguing as the piece itself. We sat down with the artist to learn about her inspiration and her innovative “texture swapping” technique.
EP: How did this all get started? You answered an artist call?
KT: Yes! I am a native Texan with over 20 years of artistic experience, and there was an artist call – Easton Park was looking for Texas artists to create work to go in Prospect Park. I’m always looking for projects that might be a good fit. My studio is in Houston, and I work with a foundry in Spain. I do projects all over, but I loved that this was practically in my backyard.
EP: What was your inspiration for the piece?
KT: The inspiration for The Lion Family came from the original Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York! There’s a sculpture there by Victor Peter from 1899 called Lioness and Cubs. As an artist, I think it’s important to pay homage to where we come from, and to further inspire people – hopefully they’ll go visit the New York park and make all these cool connections! And that’s who lives in the Easton Park neighborhood is families – lions and their cubs – so it seemed like a good fit.
One thing to note is that the original sculpture is quite formal – the lioness and cubs are up on a plinth. I wanted to take them down and put them on the ground, so people could interact with them and take a selfie, more like the Balto, the sled dog sculpture or the Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park.
EP: Can you tell us about your texture swapping technique?
KT: Sure! The whole idea is that you can take one natural texture and swap it for another one. To make the lions, I couldn’t make a mold of a real lion, but Mother Nature makes lions so they can blend into their environment. So, I explored the environs of Easton Park, where I made molds of native grasses, rocks, and dirt to create textures that look like lion fur. I basically look around and ask, what’s around here that looks like a lion? There are a lot of prairie grasses that look very furry.
EP: That’s so cool! How do you copy the textures?
KT I use a food-grade nontoxic, mold-making material – it doesn’t leave any residue or trace, so it doesn’t hurt the plants. It kind of has the texture of silly putty, and you kind of “spludge” it onto your surface. Once it cures, it’s like a sheet of silicone – flappy and rubbery, so I can roll it up and put it in my backpack. It’s super transportable, so I can take it back to my studio in Houston and then to the foundry in Spain.
EP: What is the sculpting process like?
KT: First, I sculpt the lion forms out of polystyrene, and then I employ the lost wax casting technique. I paint the textured molds I made with liquid wax that forms sheets, and I use these to make “lion clothes” that I shaped over the styrofoam forms. Then, the foundry casts the sculptures into bronze. Once cast, there are finishing and polishing steps before the sculptures are shipped back to the States. It’s a process that typically takes about a year, but I was so excited about this project that we made it work. The timeline was tight, but we were able to get the whole thing done in a little more than 6 months!
EP: That’s amazing! How was it working with Easton Park?
KT: I’ve been so grateful for the whole process, to have such a dedicated group of people. Brookfield Properties has been so on the ball – they always get back to me right away. I’ve been so impressed with how the park and community have turned out, and the quality of the homes – you can see the difference and the attention to detail. If you have one, you’ll have the other. When you’re working with great people, the proof is in the pudding!
Thanks KT for sharing your amazing artistry with the neighborhood. Stay tuned for more details on the official unveiling of The Lion Family sculpture in Prospect Park! If you want to live in a master-planned community with amazing parks and public art, find your builder now.
