Google Fox?
If you were to Google Fox you would come up with a great deal of material including the Network, the animal and a voyage to the Arctic by the ship Fox, but there is a little known expedition, by an 18 foot row boat, which Sculptor Bill Osmundsen hopes will become a monument, for it’s inspiration to ‘everyman’s courage and determination’.
The ‘Fox Sculpture’ was inspired by the first transatlantic crossing by oar. “It’s simply amazing”, Osmundsen recently stated. “And what’s so appealing is it was accomplished by two Norwegian American seamen in 1896, who met the challenge, to row across the Atlantic Ocean in an open boat. They had little money and accomplished this great feat in about 60 days.”
The idea for the sculpture is driven by Project Coordinator, Victor Samuelsen. “I called Bill about 3 years ago and said I have a fantastic subject for you, it’s about 2 men who crossed the Atlantic Ocean in an open boat.
If you want to learn more go and have a read of Richard Shaws “Daring the Sea”, and when your done reading it,- give me a call”.
Samuelsen who is heavily involved in New York’s Norwegian American community first came in contact with Osmundsen’s sculpture when he made the winning bid on Osmundsen’s bronze sculpture “Restauration”.
The “Restauration” bronze depicts the first Norwegian immigration boat to US waters which landed in the Port of New York, in 1852 with 52 men, women and children onboard, having sailed from Stavanger, Norway.
Osmundsen had been commissioned to create the work for the NIA (Norwegian Immigration Associations) festivities in 2000 which included an exhibition and display at Ellis Island for nearly one year and a gala event, where Osmundsen’s sculpture was unveiled.
“There were many displays, as well as my bronze sculpture”, Osmundsen stated. “The evening event was Black tie and Norway's HM King Harald attended to honor the event. There certainly were more than 1000 people in attendance.” One year after extensive exhibits throughout the US and Norway the plan was to auction Osmundsen’s creation. The work was then donated to Manhattan’s Norwegian Seamen’s Church by Samuelsen, who won it at auction; There it is presently displayed in their new library.
Osmundsen, who has been a professional artist for 40 years, was first inspired by sailing motifs, introduced to him by his father, his original art instructor and his grandfather a rigger boss and yacht captain, also from
Stavanger, Norway. In 1969, as an illustrator draftsman in the US Navy,
Osmundsen depicted scenes from an Atlantic Crossing for a Naval Operation off the coast of Turkey. Returning from the operation; ‘Deep Express’ the
Amphibious Command gave the young sailor a free hand and materials to create artworks for the Admirals spaces.
Years later, in 1976 and working as a freelance artist in the New York area, Osmundsen proposed doing a sculpture series on Norway's Tall Ship Christian Radich to the Norwegian Information Service. After sailing on a leg of the Christian Radich’s, Operation Sail, held on the East Coast in 1976, the sculptor created and introduced his new series Bronzes from the Sea. First exhibited in the windows of SAS (Scandinavian Airlines Systems) at Rockefeller Center, 5th Avenue, New York in 1978. Osmundsen was invited, after the Norwegian paper VG published an article about the artist, to take his exhibit to Norway, for Norway’s upcoming Operation Sail, OpSail 1978. During his exhibition with world renowned silver shop, David Andersen, in Oslo, Osmundsen’s bronze “At the Helm”, was purchased by the City of Oslo and presented by HM King Olav V of Norway to the Captain and crew of Christian Radich.
“I thought the theme of the Fox would work well into Bill’s maritime motif”, Samuelsen reflected. “I saw the raw courage, ability and determination, a young Cadet at Sea learns at sea in Osmundsen’s Bronzes from the Sea, cadet series and especially in “At the Helm” which depicts a young cadet at the wheel of a Tall Ship.”
“The Fox Sculpture project has defiantly grown as we have developed it in time. Working weekly and often daily the creation of a major monument is a multiphase effort.” Samuelsen continued,
“We have gone through the design stage into a 3 foot (Fox Boat LOA) sculpture model and recently down to a 1 foot (Fox Boat LOA) model which Bill and I presented to Ft. Schuyler, New York States’, Maritime Academy in the Bronx. There is a beautiful location at this historic maritime academy by the water which opens to the Long Island Sound for placement of a life sized bronze work.”
“Bill has projected up to the full sized 18 foot Fox boat for the bronze monument, which with the water would be roughly 30 feet in length.
Naturally we have carefully detailed all the varied costs and completion time which will take about 2 years from the funding”.
Osmundsen and Samuelsen already have about 3 years into the
project. The full-sized bronze is estimated at about 1 million dollars and the partners have priced at other versions at 1/3rd size and 2/3rd size.
The 3 foot version as well as the 1 foot version would be available in limited edition.
“You know a million dollars may sound like a lot”, stated Samuelsen “but the extensive and time consuming process to produce an artwork of this magnitude represents a complex production, it can be daunting. The smaller versions are of course priced in proportion to their size and effort”.
“I thought the theme of the Fox would work well into Bill’s maritime motif”, Samuelsen reflected. “I saw the raw courage, ability and determination, a young Cadet at Sea learns at sea in Osmundsen’s Bronzes from the Sea, cadet series and especially in “At the Helm” which depicts a young cadet at the wheel of a Tall Ship.”
“The Fox Sculpture project has defiantly grown as we have developed it in time. Working weekly and often daily the creation of a major monument is a multiphase effort.” Samuelsen continued,
“We have gone through the design stage into a 3 foot (Fox Boat LOA) sculpture model and recently down to a 1 foot (Fox Boat LOA) model which Bill and I presented to Ft. Schuyler, New York States’, Maritime Academy in the Bronx. There is a beautiful location at this historic maritime academy by the water which opens to the Long Island Sound for placement of a life sized bronze work.”
“Bill has projected up to the full sized 18 foot Fox boat for the bronze monument, which with the water would be roughly 30 feet in length.
Naturally we have carefully detailed all the varied costs and completion time which will take about 2 years from the funding”.
Osmundsen and Samuelsen already have about 3 years into the
project. The full-sized bronze is estimated at about 1 million dollars and the partners have priced at other versions at 1/3rd size and 2/3rd size.
The 3 foot version as well as the 1 foot version would be available in limited edition.
“You know a million dollars may sound like a lot”, stated Samuelsen “but the extensive and time consuming process to produce an artwork of this magnitude represents a complex production, it can be daunting. The smaller versions are of course priced in proportion to their size and effort”.