Commissions
WICHITA KANSAS ZOO
Life-size
“Paul Tadlock was contracted to produce the bonze sculpture of a grizzly bear sow and her two cubs as the centerpiece for the Recognition Plaza of Sedgwick County Zoo’s North American Prairie Exhibit. We couldn’t have been more pleased. Paul blended the best on anatomical appropriateness with a perfectly tempered artistic talent to produce what has become the most popular “photo site” in the Zoo. Paul’s professional acumen was equal to his artistic skill. Wall found him pleasant to work with and quickly recognized his intent to fit his production into our setting. All time frames of the commitment were set.”
Mark C. Reed,
Director Sedgwick County Zoo
THE FOUNDERS
Dear Paul,
What a success we enjoyed at the Centennial Opening Ceremony, and the unveiling of your incredibly life-like sculpture, "The Founders," was a definite showstopper! I wanted to thank you again for the delightful experience it has been working with you on this project. Your excellent design and technical skills, incredible flexibility in working with such a diverse group of volunteers (each with their own ideas), and most importantly, your graciousness in being such an active participant in Irving’s 100th Birthday Celebration events has truly made a positive and lasting impression on myself and others. The sculpture you have provided for us — of our cofounders Otis Brown and Charles Schultze—is exactly what we were hoping for. You seemed to instinctively understand the visions for this project, and made our work so much easier. Just as important, we received excellent care not only from you, but also from your staff, land we were impressed with the responsiveness and timeliness of your service.
We have so many things to thank you for:
• the exceptional research you did concerning the
surveyor’s tools, gear and clothing which resulted in such a realistic and
historically correct image;
• numerous trips to Irving to work with the committee and the founder;
• your complete willingness to share your knowledge of the process involved in
creating the final piece;
• your amazing invitation to the entire committee into your studio so that we could
the process ourselves;
• and the suggestion and production of the maquettes that have been such an aesthetic
and financial success.
Thank you for helping to make the City of Irving shine during our Centennial Celebration! We have so enjoyed teaming with you on this Centential project,
Sincerely, Marvin Randle, Centennial Task Force Co-chair