Renowned Benjamin sculptor creates Professional Bull Riders award
Jeff Wolf works in his studio on the figure "Saddle Iron" on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin. "It was the easiest thing for me to create with," Wolf said about working with clay in his art.
Jeff Wolf works in his studio on the figure "Saddle Iron" on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
Memorabilia and figures are pictured in Jeff Wolf's studio on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
Jeff Wolf works in his studio on a figure of Jim Shoulders on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin. Wolf has been commissioned by Coca-Cola, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for his sculpture work.
Finished figures are pictured behind Jeff Wolf as he works in his studio on the figure of Jim Shoulders on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
Jeff Wolf works in his studio on a figure of Jim Shoulders, who is a legend in the rodeo community, on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
Jeff Wolf works in his studio on the figure of Jim Shoulders, a legendary rodeo cowboy and rancher, on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
Jeff Wolf works in his studio on the figure "Saddle Iron" on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
Jeff Wolf grabs clay to work with in his studio on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
Jeff Wolf works in his studio on the figure "Saddle Iron" on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
"Saddle Iron" is pictured next to Jeff Wolf as he works in his studio on the figure modeled after Jim Shoulders on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
Jeff Wolf exits his studio after working on figures on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Benjamin.
Jeff Wolf has been sculpting full time for more than 30 years, culminating in what he called one of the highest honors of his career when he was commissioned to sculpt a top award for Professional Bull Riders Inc., or PBR, last year.
The Benjamin artist has created upwards of a thousand pieces throughout his career, molding them from clay before having them cast in bronze — but this piece was something a little special.
The PBR created a new award in 2018, the Ty Murray Top Hand award, to recognize a top rodeo athlete in conjunction with its four pillars of recognition given every year at the Heroes and Legends Celebration in Las Vegas. Murray, after whom the award was named, is a commentator for PBR on CBS, a nine-time world champion and an inductee of the ProRodeo Hall of fame.
“Being such a prestigious award, I actually sculpted my design for submission,” Wolf said. “Ty Murray personally selected my design and requested that the award depicted his own spurs.”
Wolf and Murray began communicating, with Murray sending Wolf pictures of every detail of his spurs, from the little bucking horse on them to the name of the bit and spur maker engraved on the inside. The sculpting process took Wolf more than two months to complete.
“It’s more than an honor,” Wolf said. “It was a blessing that I got this because I really put my heart and soul into this piece, not just because it was the PBR, but because of everything that went around it with Ty, and his accomplishments and the person he was and the honor of doing this for the PBR. It’s right at the top of the honors that I have ever experienced.”
The award was presented to three people in November: Tom Ferguson, Lewis Feild and Trevor Brazile. Feild was a Utah cowboy who was a local legend and won three consecutive world all-around titles from 1985 to 1987 who died of cancer in 2016. His award was accepted on his behalf by his family.
Ferguson won six world all-around titles consecutively, specializing in calf roping and steer wrestling, and was the first man in rodeo to win $1 million in his career. Brazile holds the record for the most National Finals Rodeo world championship titles with 23.
The process for creating the award was a bit different than Wolf’s normal creative process. Most of his pieces are inspired by a story, or his imagination, not re-created from a photograph.
“I create things for my enjoyment,” Wolf said. “I love to see the faces come to life and create their own personality. It’s almost like they do, because I never know really what they’re going to look like until they’re finished.”
Some of his pieces are based off of historical figures, such as his piece called the “Stock Detective,” depicting an 1800s-era stock detective hired to take care of rustling problems in pre-law enforcement days.
Other pieces depict his own life experiences, including scenes depicting memories from his eight years in rodeo and his time managing a ranch in Colorado.
For Wolf, telling a story is one of the most important parts of his artwork.
“It probably wouldn’t mean much if it didn’t have a story behind it for me,” he said. “… Unless you’ve spent time in the saddle, ridden through this kind of weather, cut a calf out of a cow because it’s coming backwards and it’s been dead for two days in negative-30 degree weather — you really can’t experience and put that into your heart unless you’ve been there and done it.”
Wolf is known for creating the illusion of movement in his pieces, something he says he accomplishes in part by exaggerating a little bit from real life.
“This piece is probably exaggerated quite a bit more than it would actually be,” Wolf said, gesturing to a clay sculpture in his studio of a bucking bull. “But the excitement is there, and that’s what’s fun. An animal can move like that, but, you know, maybe the twist is just a little bit more, get those certain lines working…that’s what I like to do with my art is lead the eye around the piece from one point to the next.”
Many of his pieces don’t take the two months to sculpt that the spurs did. For a recent, nearly-completed piece called “Saddle Iron,” Wolf joked that it took him three days and 40 years to complete.
“It’s like anything,” Wolf said. “The more you do and the more you understand, then the quicker things get. So yeah, a piece like that, 20 years ago would have taken two to three weeks.”
When he is not in his studio, Wolf is typically still working on something art-related. He regularly does fundraising for organizations, and says his work has raised nearly $1 million in charitable contributions throughout the years. He also holds art classes, teaching students to sculpt by starting with bone and muscle structure and working the way up to full sculptures.
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