NORWICH – After nearly two decades of mixing art and commerce as the owner of Unique Artistic Services, painter and sculptor Stephen Brois is currently involved in a project that’s – literally – for the birds.
A resident staff artist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City for six years, Brois has spent the past six to seven months in his North Broad Street apartment and studio sculpting a pair of realistic, life-sized recreations of an African zebra and gazelle, to be displayed at the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The pieces, however, are much more than just visual props, said Brois.
Located on the western border of the UAE, the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort is a unique oasis settlement where visitors can learn of arid-land wildlife and conservation through vivid, first-hand experience, according to Brois. The zebra and gazelle sculptures will be utilized as feeding troughs for the park’s resident vulture and marabou stork populations.
“It was a long process and both pieces were created completely by hand,” stated Brois, who relocated to the Norwich area approximately two years ago. “It’s very labor intensive and there are no shortcuts.”
Due to the extreme heat at the desert location, Brois said he utilized specialized paint systems to complete the pair of mutilated sculptures, meant to recreate the scene of a recent lion attack. The ultimate goal is to generate an illusion of realism for those visiting the wildlife resort.
In addition, the two pieces must be able to withstand the abuse a typical wake of vultures is capable of dishing out while feeding. To accomplish this, Brois constructed the two blood-spattered sculptures from a specialized foam covered with carbon fiber epoxy for added strength.
Brois also utilized silicon stamps, taken from real animal hides, for an even more realistic finish to the pieces, which will be strategically placed at the resort for maximum visual effect.
“Over the years you learn a lot of tricks, but the bottom line is that these need to last,” stated Brois. “They would like to get a couple of years of use out of these.”
In previous years, Brois has traveled along with his artwork, which can be found “from Tokyo to San Francisco,” according to the artist. This time around, however, he’s decided to stay close to home.
“My dream has always been to show my art in museums but it’s these types of projects which pay the bills,” said Brois of the nearly completed, approximately 100-pound zebra and gazelle sculptures. “I’ve met a number of people and it’s a very nice community. It’s slower living up here which keeps me more focused on my artwork, which is a good thing.”