Maytag Matilda – A Horse From Every Angle

The Photo Challenge this week is to look at a subject from different angles. I’ve chosen a Horse sculpture that stands in Plaza Fountainside, Fountain Hills, Arizona.

This horse, a mare, is called Maytag Maltilda. She weighs  5,000 lbs, stands 9 feet tall and  is 11 feet long. The fabrication artist is Dixie Jewett. In her workshop in Dayton, Oregon, Dixie pieces together bits of metal and garage sale finds to create one of a kind masterpieces.

To see Maytag Matilda at her best, click on one of the photos to open a slideshow. To close the slideshow, press your ES-Ca-pay button (or the tiny ‘X’ on the top left of the screen).

Ring for Service

Back leg

Belly

Maytag Matilda

Head

Head showing sunglasses

People respond to her work, Jewett feels, not only because the sculptures look so amazingly lifelike and animated, but also because “they can identify with all the little bits. They’ve got stuff like that at home.” She vividly remembers the reactions of one couple. “The wife was amazed by how realistic and alive the horse looked. Meanwhile, her husband was up close to it and said, ‘Wow! A ’57 Chevy headlight!’”
– Norman Kolpas, Dixie Jewett – Horse Sense, Southwest Art –

The story of Dixie Jewett’s life is interesting, though difficult to piece together. The Southwest Art story referenced above is the most complete rendition of this remarkable woman’s life, but is a scant one page. I hope someone writes a more complete biography some day, because it isn’t often that an Alaskan Bush Pilot/renowned welding artist is a woman!

This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge: From Every Angle