It is not hard to imagine from where artist Jerry McKellar gets his artistic inspiration , living as he does on the outskirts near the town of Colville in beautiful Northeast Washington . Jerry and his wife Gayle share space with abounding wildlife and spectacular scenery . I first met Jerry McKellar when I served as one of the early board members of the Spokane Valley Arts Council several years ago . Our first major project was to finance the installation and creation of a “ larger than life ” bronze by McKellar , called Working the Line , which would be placed at the Mirabeau Park in Spokane Valley . Through the hard work of the volunteer committee and several art auction fund-raisers , we were successful in that effort and Working the Line was installed in 2009 and became the first major art installation in the young city of Spokane Valley . McKellar ’ s bronze statue today has become somewhat of an icon in the Valley and subject of many photo opportunities over the years .
Working The Line Medium : Bronze
Size : 8 1 / 2 ’ x 6 1 / 2 ’ x 4 ’
Artist Jerry McKellar
This story was not the first relationship that Jerry McKellar has had with Spokane Valley and it is certainly not his last . A little background on Jerry McKellar : Jerry graduated from the University of Washington in 1969 with a DDS degree . He began his art endeavors as a self-taught artist and has experimented with many art forms such as painting , scratchboard and ultimately sculpting . As a dentist he learned much about physiology and the human form , which has aided his ability to sculpt the detailed facial features he is so well known for . Jerry ’ s success has placed dozens of his works around the nation from Washington to Vermont and nearly everywhere in between . Jerry has also been featured in several nationally recognized art magazines and publications . Jerry retired from dentistry in 1994 to pursue his art career full time .
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