Why Call Them Nikes?

The name does not come from Athletic shoes! Nike was the Winged Goddess of Victory. Sculptures of her were erected all over the antique world where armies had conquered and victory was worshiped. As time passed these icons were also vengefully destroyed by other conquerors, and overcoming locals. Very few of these tremendous winged sculptures remain intact. And most were buried for centuries.

In the Renaissance it became fashionable to study antiquities. By Napoleon's era it was fashionable to own a piece of antiquity from the new archaeological expeditions. It was common for a person of stature to have one on display in his home. The broken pieces of these sculptures became collectible high art. Wingless, armless Goddesses and various found components like the wings themselves could be seen on mantels and in foyers of the well-heeled. The acid etched color patinas on today's bronzes are the result of imitating antiques that were originally painted, but years of weather and burial conditions produced the chemical surface colors.
Today artist still imitate the broken torso sculptures as fine art.

The modern baby boomer has a different status symbol that he collects. In his garage is an antique from his own past, indicating his achievement of wealth, or at least his restorative capability - his prized car. Some bear the patina of their years and await a new status as objects of art.

"The Boomer's Nike" was the first of Tj's series, paying homage to his past career in car design and his love of sculpture and art history. The winged forms of these sculptures soar like classic antiques. Our personal cars are now the most recognized sculptural forms on the planet.

Tj does sculpture in bronze, and masonry. Now his original studies for these works have been cast and are available to you in limited editions, in various sizes: