“Roaring Judy”

“On one of our fly-fishing trips, Gene and I, along with Josh and one of his college friends, were fly-fishing on the Taylor River near Gunnison, Colorado, below the Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery. The river was shallow and made a lot of noise as it flowed across rocks and a nearby cascade.

Fifty feet or so separated each of us, but over the roar of the river, I heard Gene’s whistle. He was notorious for whistling to get his family’s attention, so I looked up to see him pointing across the river toward a black bear grazing on the opposite bank…

Being that close to a wild bear was momentous for me! The four of us set down our fly rods and watched the bear browse slowly up the river and slip back into the wilderness.

The sculpture, as we created it, is poised to flee. Her head is polished bronze, with a bighorn sheep mask on the front of her chest. A landscape crosses her hips, with the river rippling down her legs.”

– Rebecca Tobey – Excerpt from “Partners in Art”