Cougar III
Cougar III, 1996
Gwynn Murrill (1942- )
Bronze
City of Beverly Hills with a donation by Marie D. Shafer
Gwynn might be called an "abstract naturalist," as she simplifies forms - specifically animals - without obscuring their natural identities and characteristics. In this way she gives them a powerful but elusive presence, allowing us to view them at once as fellow mammals and as alluring, mysterious objects. Murrill's menagerie is heavy on local fauna but ranges widely. Self-taught, the Michigan-born, Los Angeles-based sculptor describes her process as "take-away," referring to the reductive manner of her formulation and also to her technical process for molding bronze.