Bronze Inside and Out is a literary biography of sculptor Bob Scriver, written by his wife, Mary Strachan Scriver. Bob Scriver is best known for his work in bronze and for his pivotal role in the rise of "cowboy art." Living and working on the Montana Blackfeet Reservation, Scriver created a bronze foundry, a museum, and a studio an atelier based on classical methods, but with local Blackfeet artisans. His importance in the still-developing genre of "western art" cannot be overstated. Mary Strachan Scriver lived and worked with Bob Scriver for over a decade and was instrumental in his rise to international acclaim. Working alongside her husband, she became intimately familiar with the man, his work, and his process. Her frank, uncensored, and highly entertaining biography reveals details that give the reader a unique picture of Scriver both as man and as artist. Bronze Inside and Out also provides a fascinating look into the practice of bronze casting, cleverly structuring the story of Bob Scrivers life according to the steps in this complicated and temperamental process.
Born and raised in the rain in Portland, Oregon, I attended Northwestern University (1958-61) where I took theatre classes, disguised as preparation for teaching English. On the way home after graduation, I came upon the Blackfeet Reservation, tawny and curved as the back of a Belgian stallion, and would go no further. I spent the Sixties with Bob Scriver, partly as his third wife of four. I've been thrown out in 1973 and 1991, but have returned to retire just off the reservation since 1999. In the intervals I worked as an animal control officer, a Unitarian-Universalist minister, and a clerical specialist. I have an M.Div., a professional degree for ministry, and an MA in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago Divinity School. This eclectic background combined nitty-gritty with rarefied theory.
I self-publish at www.lulu.com/prairiemary. I have a dozen blogs, but post a thousandword essay every morning at www.prairiemary.blogspot.com. Topics include Blackfeet, cowboy art, religious issues, sex, AIDS, and natural history. I co-write with Tim Barrus, who creates "vlogs" which are blogs with video and we occasionally share blogs.
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