Art and horses are lifelong loves
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HERRIMAN, UTAH
Kim Corpany enjoys earning a living defined by her two lifelong loves — horses and artwork.
As a girl growing up in Utah's Morgan County, she was usually found either sitting atop a horse or sketching one in her school notebook. Years later, she found she could also transform clay into lifelike representations of famous horses. A true equine artist.
If you collect the work of LDS artists, you probably know Sister Corpany's name. Even if not, you've likely seen her work.
A few years ago, she teamed with fellow artist Stan Watts to sculpt the "Calm As A Summer's Morning" monument that stands outside the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. The heroic-size bronze captures a breathtaking moment in Church history with its reverent depiction of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on horseback as they embark on their final ride to Carthage. Sister Corpany sculpted the horses while her partner focused on the human figures.
Later, the two worked on a massive monument recapturing the familiar image of New York City firefighters raising an American Flag at the edge of the World Trade Center ruins. That piece now stands outside the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md.
Sister Corpany's latest collaboration with Brother Watts celebrates the life and legacy of Seabiscuit, perhaps the most beloved racehorse in American history. The Seabiscuit Heritage Foundation recently unveiled a pair of sculptures of Seabiscuit created by the duo. One depicts the famous thoroughbred being ridden by his usual jockey Red Pollard. The other is of jockey George "The Iceman" Woolf atop Seabiscuit in a workout prior to the mount's famous 1938 match race against War Admiral.
Again, Sister Corpany worked on the horses and Brother Watts crafted the riders.
"I was really excited," Sister Corpany said of the Seabiscuit commission. "It's something that anybody who sculpts horses would be honored to do."
The two are now working on a heroic-sized Seabiscuit bronze that will be placed outside Howard Hospital in Willits, Calif. The hospital was built by Charles S. Howard, Seabiscuit's owner.
A lifelong member of the Church, Sister Corpany grew up "a horse-crazy little girl" who inherited her talent with pencil and paper from her art teacher mother, JoAnne Corpany. It wasn't until she enrolled in Utah State University that she began studying 3-dimensional design.
After graduating, Sister Corpany took a horse anatomy class to help with her painting. She also became acquainted with Brother Watts. One day he gave the painter a pile of clay and a simple request: Go make something. Naturally, Sister Corpany began sculpting horses. Soon Brother Watts recognized her natural talent and invited her to join him on the Joseph and Hyrum Smith project.
The rare opportunity to help depict the Prophet and his faithful brother as they rode horseback to Carthage was a spiritual, faith-building experience.
"It was pretty dear to my heart," said Sister Corpany, a member of the Tuscany Ward, Herriman Utah Stake.
For the Seabiscuit project, the artist wanted to make sure she captured Seabiscuit's distinct physique. Sister Corpany used her own quarterhorse, Magic, as her model. Much like Seabiscuit, Magic has buck knees and a low-slung torso.
"Seabiscuit looked like he would have made a wonderful cow horse, but he didn't look like much of a racehorse," she said.
Seabiscuit's working-class visage was one reason he was beloved by the American masses struggling to survive the Great Depression. Long before she attempted to replicate Seabiscuit in clay, Sister Corpany was inspired by the horse's unlikely story.
"Seabiscuit was an underdog," she said. "He had lost races. He was undersized. He was older than your average race horse. But, in the end, he just kept winning."
E-mail to: jswensen@desnews.com
