Deep in the Heart Art Foundry in Bastrop is not only the largest fine art foundry in Texas, but it’s also home to the creator of the beloved Buc-ee’s statues. Those statues are always a selfie must for any road trip pit stop made at Buc-ee’s.
Artist Clint Howard shared with cbsaustin.com that it was only after a chance encounter with the owner of Buc-ee’s in Bastrop, Texas, that he created the iconic statue. “We did one that was realistic and one that was the iconic character that’s on their big billboards,” Howard told cbsaustin.com. “I went to Lake Jackson at their headquarters and presented them, and immediately the realistic one was thrown out, and the cartoon animation character was chosen.” The YouTube video below from re:3D Tech highlights the process of creating a statue such as the Buc-ee’s beaver.
Video: YouTube/re:3D Tech
The first step to creating the Buc-ee’s statue is making a 4-inch model of the beaver, shared Howard with cbsaustin.com. Next, Howard enlarges it, creates a rubber mold, and goes on to pour metal into the mold. After a dozen different sections of the statue are completed, the final step is to weld them together.
Recently, the art foundry held an open house on March 8 with guided tours, bronze pour demonstrations, and an employee art sale. “Deep in the Heart offers services from conception to installation and everything in between,” shares its Facebook page.
Although the Buc-ee’s statue is probably the most popular in Texas, Deep in the Heart Art Foundry’s specialty is creating metal works all across the world. “We’re like a publishing house for artists. We produce for about 600 artists around the world,” Howard said. They have a pretty impressive resume of projects that can be viewed on their website at deepintheheart.net.
Photo: Facebook/Deep In the Heart Art Foundry
In case you were wondering if you could order your own Buc-ee’s statue to proudly display in your front yard? No such luck. Buc-ee’s and Howard have, you could say, an ironclad agreement, and it’s exclusive to the chain only. So for now, you will have to make a pit stop for that all-important selfie with one of Texas’ most beloved statues.
If you missed their open house save the date for Sculpfest 2019 in Round Rock, Texas, on April 26-28. It will feature over 60 artist exhibits, and Deep in the Heart Art Foundry will be one of the hosts. Clint Howard will be one of the participating sculpture artists as well.
