From 1874-1900 the Rangers were organized into a Frontier Battalion to protect Texas' western frontier from attacks by Comanche and Mexican bandits.These frontier era Rangers were some of the toughest Texans who ever mounted a horse. This fine bronze is Texas State Artist Edd Hayes' tribute to these hardy lawmen.
A former rodeo bulldogger and resident of Houston, Texas, he was named the official Texas State Sculptor for 1999. One of his sculptures, "Wild and Free," featuring six life-size horses is at the entrance to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo horse arena. It was dedicated in 1992 and is 20 feet high and sits on a plinth 120 feet long.
“Art came calling on me three different times in my life. The first time as a youth of around ten, I got into doing some drawing, encouraged by my Mother, though soon losing interest. The second time I was about twenty-five, I got about half way through the ”Famous Artists” correspondence course. The third and last time was in 1977. During a visit to the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma, looking at the works of Russell, Remington, Leigh and other great artists, I found myself alone in the hushed quiet of the museum standing in front of a huge Charlie Russell oil painting. I felt an imaginary tap on my shoulder and though no one was there, I heard someone whisper, "It’s time"...... Edd Hayes
With no formal training, Hayes began painting and soon was showing his paintings at some prestigious art shows around the country. Painting though was not fulfilling his needs in the creation of art and soon was seeking other mediums. At this point in his life, this native Texan had already seen experience as a journeyman carpenter, steel worker, oilfield welder, professional cowboy, a field representative and corporate salesman. All of the skills he learned and used in these former professions were about to be used in his next profession...that of a bronze sculptor. In 1981 with no formal art training, mainly through trial and error, Hayes created his first small sculpture, a little figurative bronze. A limited edition of 15 sold out almost immediately.
Hayes is now sought after for his excellence in quality and dependability in creating life-size and larger figurative portraits. His public and corporate bronze monuments number now over forty and include; “The Struggle – Man and Energy”, a sixteen feet tall Pegasus, at Energy Plaza in Houston. Under a 300 year old live oak at The George Ranch Historical Park and Museum, a bench with life-size bronzes of “Albert and Mamie George” invite people visiting the museum to sit a while and enjoy; In 2003, a life-size bronze of an "Aggie Redpot", "Aggie Spirit, The Tradition Lives", was installed in College Station, Texas; A 15 ft. tall WW II Monument, "A Call to Duty" was dedicated on Veteran’s Day 2006 and is Texas’ first monument dedicated solely to WW II Veterans; Two different life-size firefighter bronze sculptures, “In the Line of Fire”, for the Houston Fire Museum in Houston and “A Breath of Valor” for a Firefighter Memorial in Baytown that was dedicated in May 2009.
