Scottish Angus Cow & Calf is a bigger than life bronze sculpture located at the southern entry to the Acoma Plaza of the Arts, on the south side of the Hamilton Building, in the Hindery Family Park. Designer / Artist Dan Ostermiller is a former taxidermist from Cheryenne, Wyoming, where he gained a strong understanding of the body language and anatomy of animals. He has created over 312 original sculptures (over 40 of which are at a monumental scale) . . .  the Scottish Angus Cow & Calf is the largest of his works. Ostermiller was commissioned to create the bronze sculpture by Leo Hindery, a Colorado ranch owner who wanted to commemorate the cows of his own beloved Scottish Angus herd.

To Ostermiller, the quality of shapes and design are of the utmost importance for creating expression, character and charm. Notice the roundness of the cow’s belly, folds of
skin, and muscle contours. He says, “

Information about animal anatomy is critical to sculpting, but for me, exaggeration of form for the sake of aesthetics is the goal. 

Dan Ostermiller

Grouping two (or more) animals together is a technique Ostermiller uses to increase the expressiveness of a piece. It allows him to convey intimate involvement and emotional interaction between the subjects, and also provides interesting relationships of the forms from different viewpoints.

Ostermiller likes to retain the surface marks of his clay models once the sculpture is cast in bronze . . . he believes that the surface textures are most important, not the details of hair, for instance, but lines and serrations left by tools that direct your eye over the surface planes of the sculpture and throughout its compositions.