Marshall Fredericks and Scott Slocum work on the plasteline model for "The Friendly Dragon"
Animal sculpture--20th century. Artists' studios--United States. Dragons in art. Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998 Slocum, G. Scott
â€œI did â€¦ a dragon; I called it The Friendly Dragon. The architect said he didn't think he would use it because he said the children would be frightened of a dragon. But children love dragons and it's not an ugly dragon, it's a friendly dragon with a big smile and it's cozy and you can sit on its back on those humps on its back. It's just that he never was a child, I guess, so he doesn't know. So they put up a thing, a structural beam thing. I've never seen a child near it so maybe they didn't get the audience that they wanted really. I think maybe I'll do that Dragon. I like dragons anyway, they're special.â€ (Marshall Fredericks, from a 1981 interview with Joy Colby, The Detroit News art critic.) Throughout his long career, Fredericks often returned to his joyful and whimsical work that involved animals. â€œThe Friendly Dragon, cast twice in 1991, as a pair for the Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a childâ€™s magical dream. Like a Maurice Sendak illustration (popular author of Where the Wild Things Are), Fredericksâ€™ dragon presents a danger that has become approachable, a wild animal that has become as friendly as a pet.â€ (Marshall M. Fredericks, Sculptor, p. 14)
Marshall M. Fredericks Papers Series V, Box 13 Folder 20
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Marshall Fredericks admires the full scale plasteline model of "The Friendly Dragon"
Animal sculpture--20th century. Artists' studios--United States. Dragons in art. Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998
The full scale plasteline model for "The Friendly Dragon" in the green house studio with sculpting tools on platform
Marshall Fredericks with the full scale plasteline model of "The Friendly Dragon" in the greenhouse studio
Full scale plasteline model of "The Friendly Dragon" in Fredericks' greenhouse studio
Rear/side view of the full scale plasteline model of "The Friendly Dragon" in Fredericks' greenhouse studio
Front/side view of the full scale plasteline model of "The Friendly Dragon" in Fredericks' greenhouse studio
Side view of the full scale plasteline model of "The Friendly Dragon" in Fredericks' greenhouse studio
Additional side view of the full scale plasteline model of "The Friendly Dragon" in Fredericks' greenhouse studio
Front view of the full scale plasteline model of "The Friendly Dragon" in Fredericks' greenhouse studio