Blair Buswell

Blair Buswell has always been fascinated with the human figure. He likes the challenge of capturing the gesture, mood, and expression of a person in thought which brings a sense of life to his work. Blair has also studied the skilled athlete in action and has used his artistic talents to sculpt famous sports figures of our day, including Jack Nicklaus, Oscar Robertson, Doak Walker, and Paul “Bear” Bryant. He is also well known for his portraiture and since 1983 has sculpted more than 75 busts of the inductees of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Blair was honored in 1990 as the Sport Artist of the Year by the United States Sports Academy; the first sculptor ever to be so honored. Blair enjoys sculpting a wide variety of subject matter in a range of sizes. His pieces are displayed in museums, private collections, college campuses, sports complexes and fine art galleries nationwide. In Oklahoma City you can see two of Blair’s monuments; Mickey Mantle at Redhawks stadium as well as Charlton Heston here at the National Heritage Museum. In 2010 Blair installed a larger than life size standing figure of NFL Hall of Fame football player, Merlin Olsen at Utah State University in Logan, Utah and a twice-life size figure of General Robert Neyland in Knoxville Tennessee at the University of Tennessee football stadium which bears the General’s name. A member of the Northwest Rendezvous Group, Blair is also a Fellow and board member in the National Sculpture Society. His traditional training has prepared him well, and Blair continues to push himself to learn new skills and techniques. The largest and most challenging project of Blair’s career is nearly completed. In a collaborative effort, he and fellow sculptors Ed Fraughton and Kent Ullberg have been commissioned to produce larger-than-life-size works for downtown Omaha Nebraska. Blair and Ed’s part of this project is the creation of a wagon train, one city block long. Blair accepted this new and daunting task as yet another opportunity to broaden his skills. Along with his figurative work, he will now be sculpting mules, oxen, horses, and other animals. He loves the old west and is excited about the opportunity to permanently capture its spirit as exemplified by the early pioneers.