The Thai Deer Story ...Where They Went & How They are Doing!

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In 1990 I brought four deer carved out of single Monkey Pod Trees to Hansville from Thailand... These majestic sculptures stand 14' tall. When I bought them, I knew that sculptures of this size would not be seen again. Even though Monkey Pod grows quickly in warm climates, those giant trees were gone. I kept two while two were sold.  The two I kept were compromised with cracks & holes here & there, however. As the years went by they changed due to the elements here in the North West, developing deeper holes. And body parts like ears fell off. I had removed the antlers early on due to the ravens who would sit on them in great numbers. The wood antlers were not designed to hold that much weight. A beautiful white horse who wondered my property in the 1990s named Honey loved to scratch her back on the deer causing one of them to fall over. The spot on my property where these deer stood was visible from the street. I came to find out how loved they were by the public as I would get phone calls from people saying their children were crying about the fallen deer. I went into action getting the deer to stand again, this time with guide wires to keep her standing. These deer were a Hansville icon for almost 30 years.

 

Dear friends & art patrons, Kim McElroy & Rod Taggart were interested in taking them to their amazing home in Kingston where they would be undercover. Plus, they had a plan to have the deer reconstructed. I was thrilled to know that they would come back to life in the hands of these compassionate friends. And so the end of this story is that the deer have indeed come back to be what they once were...whole & happy. Kim & Rod have a family of deer that they love, feed & watch over. It is so rewarding to see them interact with the Thai deer.

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The deer reconstruction was done by Jeff Owens. Jeff is a remarkable bronze artist. Please visit him at his FOG Gallery 88977 Three Tree lane Bainbridge Island: friedmanoensgallery.com

 

Kim McElroy is an amazing artist specializing in horse art. She has her studio & gallery at their house. Please contact her to visit her gallery & you will see the deer tall & proud at their farm, SkyeLandeSea   www.spiritofhorse.com

Enjoy the slide show below...it tells the story of the deer move and pictures of them today