Lines and Spaces

"Paul Hathaway is one of the few sculptors who interprets the Southwest in 20th century visual terms. Equally unique is the technique he uses to create his art. He refers to himself as a "welded metal sculptor." But his finished art is superior to most pieces produced in that media. In fact, Paul's method is so superior that even qualified experts will often insist that Hathaway's bronzes are actually cast sculptures. But they are not." Southwest Art Magazine, July, 1976

                                                                                Aquila I  #133                                                  Jim slater photo
Paroha ... Paul Robert hathaway 
                                                                            Paul in his shop                                                     Eben Pyle photo
                                                    oso pequeño  #283                     Eben Pyle photo
                                           woman with firewood #262      Eben Pyle photo
spirit of Carson  #59
                              Turtle dance leader  #156   Jim Slater photos
                                                                                   aguiloso  #230                                                        Eben Pyle photo
Blackfoot village  #174
Conquistador  #170
        "Though his masterful bronzes may appear to be one piece of metal, they are the unique blending of many detailed pieces. Once he has settled on an idea, he'll work out the details on a blackboard in his studio or with a pencil drawing. Sometimes he'll follow those sketches with paper cutouts to see exactly how he is going to approach a particular subject and how the parts will fit together. Then, when all the details are resolved, he'll draw a meticulous paper pattern, then cut it out. He'll use the pattern as his guide as he saws the proper pieces out of massive sheets of bronze. In some cases, he may cut out as many as seventy pieces of bronze. When he has all the necessary parts, he'll take separate bits of metal and shape them with wooden or metal hammers. Once he has the contour exactly as he wants it, he starts tacking the various pieces together. At this point, he makes a few minor adjustments, just to "insure that all edges are perfectly aligned," then he welds all the seams shut. Beyond this point, he moves into a phase of technique which, perhaps only he understands. With his heliarc he can melt and burn the bronze so skillfully that a unique texture appears, and all signs of "weld marks" disappear. The end result is a work of art so smooth that many viewers are convinced it was produced by lost wax castings."    Southwest Art Magazine, July, 1976
                                                                                   Pueblo VI  #141                                             jim slater photos
apache mother  #145
The Survivor II  #138      on permanent display at Colorado Springs Fine arts center   Barry Hathaway photo
        "Hathaway has acquired an international reputation for his method of fashioning monumental and often intricate sculpture out of sheet steel or bronze, as can also be seen in the spectacular buffalo which stands in front of the Colorado Springs Fine arts center. His sculptures are also found in private collections throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico."    Gazette telegraph art critic  John Fetler     April 17, 1982
                                                                           Ecstasy  #254                         Barry Hathaway photo 
        "I can't expect to accomplish anything without passion. Anything done without passion can't be expected to be any good. Sometimes I get waylaid with a piece, but I can never go back to it again. that's because the fires of my passion, once they die, they can never be rekindled. And that's all there is - there's no art, there's nothing without passion."                                                           Paul Hathaway 
                                              Born Free  #142              Jim Slater photo
Patriarch of the plains  #116
Hospitality  #1
       "Paul's first real piece of sculpture was "hospitality". He conceived it as an abstraction of "open, welcoming hands." Speaking of the life experiences that led to him becoming a sculptor, Paul said, "All my experiences are like onion skins - each one is so closely connected to the other that it is truly impossible to separate them without taking the whole fabric of my life apart. It is possible that I could have become a sculptor without some, or one, of those experiences: but which one, or ones? It is impossible to look back now and say which was the most important. They were all important."   Southwest Art Magazine, July, 1976
Paul with 'The Eagle aErie' on his land in Woodland Park, Colorado. 
A beautiful shot of "The eagle aerie"  #201 by Thomas Brossart
                                                                                                                                                                    Jim Slater photos
The Survivor II  #138
         "Since his first piece, "hospitality", Paul's rise has been almost breathtaking. He has received commissions from individuals and institutions. He has presented one-man shows in many major cities including Colorado Springs, Denver and Taos, New Mexico. One of his most striking pieces is a six foot buffalo, "survivor ii", which dominates the courtyard of the Colorado Springs fine arts center. in this work Paul depicts "the last stand of the buffalo."  He has simplified and abstracted all of the animal's strength, grace and nobility with startling sensitivity."   Southwest Art Magazine, July, 1976
                                                                             Wings of liberty  #61                                   Jim Slater photos 
              arapahoe rendezvous  #150              
                                                                              Good medicine  #128                                                Jim Ciletti photo 
                                                                Sioux Circle  #118                             Jim Slater photos
   The Survivor  #117            
Artist's statement for 'The survivor'  #117
the survivor      
        this is a tribute to our land as it was 100 years ago.  Great has been our encroachment since that time, but at least this one token remains, condescendingly made of steel (rather than flesh & bones) with the head faceing (sic) the storm of civilization.
       Having always stood out-of-doors since its completion in April of 1971, the weather-patina has added its compliment to the theme. 
       made of 255 pounds of steel with a confined amount of bronze overlay. 
loaned to the CSNB (Colorado Springs national bank) by 
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Thomas
of vail, Colo. 
                                                                        The phoenix  #13                                          Jim Slater photos
Continental eagle  #47 
fingers of fortune  #68
Zuni eagle  #80
                                                                                   door to yuma  #94                                             Jim Slater photos
Law and order  #104
Arkansas fisher  #109
Nothing lasts but the trees and the mountains  #110
nine gulls  #124
                                                    Aquila III  #137                      Jim Slater photos
pueblo V  #140
medaquila ii  #143 
                                                 The survivor II  #138                 Jim Slater photos    
Bronze screen  #146
Shalako  #152
The basket  #256               Jim Ciletti photo
                                                                        Heavy laden  #149                                      Jim Slater photos
Heavy laden  #149 (top view)
                                        Tribute Arapaho  #2           Jim Slater photos
Tribute Arapaho  #2
Medaquila 1  #131  (on right) with similar, unknown eagle (no record) 
Memories of '59  #105  
Ecstasy  #254 
                                                                                        the bird  #8                                               Jim Slater photos
wings of liberty  #61
Flame of Promethius  #58 
Pueblo III  #95
good medicine  #128 - showing a view of, and a good idea of the look and feel of the sculpture studio.                                     Jim Ciletti photo
                                                                           Jim Slater photos 
      "While Paul works with several kinds of metal in his sculpture, he prefers bronze. "There's life in bronze I can't see in steel or any other metal," he avers.  Paul works at his art on an almost unvarying schedule: by 8:30 each morning he is sculpting in his studio, and he works straight through, with time out only for coffee and sandwiches, "until Anne calls me to eat about 6:30." After supper he seldom returns to his studio which adjoins his home. rather, he spends the evening reading, in search of subjects for future sculptures. He devours books about nature or Indian cultures and has been especially inspired by books written by Ernest Thompson seton, James willard Schultz, and frank Walters."                    Southwest Art Magazine, July, 1976
       "Paul Hathaway was finishing his 241st sculpture when the snow was melting last week. While he worked in his studio at his home one mile southwest of Woodland park, his wife, Anne, said, "other artists seem to run out of ideas, but Paul never does. he is always thinking up something new to create."  Acclaimed by many aficionados of metallic sculpture as the finest depiction of Southwest culture in the country, Hathaway has surprisingly been involved in the art for only 10 years. "For 20 years I made practical things - furniture," says Hathaway with a grin. "Now, I never make anything practical." 
                                                        Teri Goebel,  Ute Pass Courier   November, 1977.  
Three skiers  #121 
                                           The Basket  #256   with   Señora Maria  #20            barry Hathaway photo 
trinity II  #253
        "While hathaway draws most of his subjects from mythology and nature, he sometimes ventures into purely geometrical design. Once, he became fascinated with the prospects of working with interlocking circles, so he set about creating a sculpture that involved them. The result was a 12 inch bronze of three interlocking circles which he called 'New Mexican interdependence'. The abstract he conceived was of three intermingling cultures: Anglo, Indian, and Spanish."   Southwest Art Magazine, July, 1976
cultural independence  #206
a view of Paul's studio, connected to his home and shop.  Early 1980's
       "The Hathaways have resided at their present home for 31 years, and every corner and wall speaks of their deep love for the southwest - in paintings and drawings, pottery, Navajo rugs, and, of course, Hathaway's sculptures throughout. Two huge sunlit rooms are used solely to display his pieces, and to tour these rooms is to journey through ten years of dramatic creativity."   Teri Goebel, Ute pass courier  November, 1977
Vulcan and handmaiden  #25
This powerful print of Rockwell Kent's "Vulcan, god of fire and metal work" hung in a corner of Paul's shop, and must have inspired sculpture #25. 
Paul working in his shop on 'the road runner' #17  c. 1967 
hernando Cortez (conquistador)  #169         Jim Slater photos
Pueblo with five Eagle dancers  #179
        "Paul and his wife make as many as six trips a year to Taos or other New Mexico settings. the artist maintains that these trips are vital to his sculpture. "Though I can't remember any one particular inspiration from these visits, I need the trips to the area for atmosphere, for inspiration, and to recharge my soul," he says.   Southwest Art Magazine, July, 1976
Chiquito  #181
Eagle Dancer  #158
Eleven dog soldiers  #182
The survivor II  #138 - Here, seen on Paul's land. now, on permanent display at the Colorado Springs fine art center.
       "Hathaway's sculptures stand in a unique category of their own, quite individualistic in conception and rather rare for any artist.  He has developed a technique in which the material - sheet steel or bronze - is fashioned to produce a combination of monumental and esthetic effects. This requires simplification of lines, but Hathaway adds carefully fashioned detail which gives the sculpture both realism and an unmistakable style."     
                                                   Gazette Telegraph art critic John Fetler   April 17, 1982
Rainbow rings  #341
                                                                      Wings of liberty  #61                                Jim Slater photos
the bold one  #144  (before reworking)
                                                 the bold one  #144 (after reworking)           Jim Ciletti photo 
 the bold one  #144 (after reworking)           Bill Pyle photo
                                                                 Lizard ridgeback  #345               barry Hathaway photos
    Ecstasy  #254        
                                                          Star of the anasazi  #75                 Barry Hathaway photos
Star of the anasazi  #75 
Alternate view of Aquila I  #133
8th grade school paper written for art class by Barry Hathaway, Paul's grandson  1984 (3 pages)
Ring of crystals  #366

                                                                                 strong box  #305                                      Barry Hathaway photos

                                                                       lock and key made for #305

                                                                          strong box  #305 (high view) 

Paul's shop drawing shown with finished lock and key. original design, seen on stool made by Roger Hathaway, Paul's son. 
Freedom  #184
                                                    Freedom  #184            Jim Slater photos
minaquila VIII  #139
the bird  #18
Aspen falcon  #60
opus 1327  #89
Pedro Garcia  #96
swift wing  #101
the phoenix  #13
This my tree  #107
Paul helped his brother, Edd, with this job in Fiberglass in the mid-1960s. this gave him some ideas... enough for about 360 sculpture pieces in the next 20 years or so.
                                           four brothers  #178     myron wood photo
                                             rooster dance kachina  #303         Jim Ciletti photo
                                               the octave  #296       Barry Hathaway photo
Kokopelli III  #321
Nature added contrast to "The Signature"  #310
A view from the house
A little Ecstasy  #335
the signature  #310
Signature female #313
Opus flamenco  #242
Ursa Major  #260
Myan monolith  #264
                                                                                  dos aquilitos  #298                                        Jim Slater photo
                                                           the roadrunner with straight lines  #114                     Jim Ciletti photo 
                                                                                 The bear clan  #257                                             Jim Slater photo
The octave  #296
Surviving the snow 
Opus sonora  #323 
manifest destiny  #261
two railings  #210
lizard, ridgeback  #345
the flute  #247
Paul's sales record of his first 36 pieces
'southwest Art' magazine feature,  July-August 1976
'southwest Art' magazine feature,  July-August 1976
paul's description of his sculpture-making process, 1974 (page 1 of 2)
                                                                                                                                      5/22/1974

        Make a sketch of the piece as you visualize it. Two dimensional is usually enough. Work out the 3rd dimension as you go along with the project. As you sketch, picture the piece in your mind, be aware of the limitations and characteristics of the bronze that you are working with. 
       Transfer, from the sketch, one section at a time to the metal sheet, by means of tracing paper, carbon paper or patterns, or a combination - whatever is the best for the particular need. one thing for certain from start to finish in this work - don't use step by step rules, as no two works will require the same like procedure. All are different. Makes this work so interesting! 
       now band-saw this piece to shape. Repeat lay-out and sawing on an adjoining piece. now shape these pieces with hammer and anvil, or vise, or whatever is needed to obtain the required contours and fits. These two pieces might now be tacked together with the torch. The third piece, adjoining, now is cut out, shaped, and tacked in place on the first two pieces. This procedure continues until you have all the pieces in place. one sculpture may have an unlimited number of pieces. 
                                                                  continued below... 
  paul's description of his sculpture-making process, 1974 (page 2 of 2)
                                                                      ...continued from above
       You can now weld the entire work. And follow by whatever route you want. by leaving the welds show and scratch brushing, polishing, or adding more metal with the torch. You have to use your imagination. you might employ a grinding to remove excess weld, etc.
       And then the patina. There are so many different ways with this bronze. And it will depend on the way that you finished working the piece, too. Chemicals are always nice to use, and interesting. Or, you might like to set the piece out-doors for some time and let mother-weather put on her own patina. The use of heat will make a nice, durable patina that is quite interesting for some pieces. 
       as a summary, who said this is as far as you can go, this is all that can be done with metal in sheet form? tomorrow might be the day that you will develop a new thought, a better technique, a different manual! This remains to be seen. But Ecclesiastes said, "there is nothing new under the sun." 
A pencil sketch for 'Many thunders'  #236
many thunders  #236
The survivor II  #138  at Colorado Springs Fine arts center 
                                                                                                                                   Jim Slater photos 
                                                                                                    Barry Hathaway photo 
the aerie  #120
Ojo De Dios  #167 (over window), Conquistador  #169, Conquistador  #170 
                                       the voyager  #358        Keith may photo 
                                                                           Pueblo in brass  #180                                               Jim Slater photos 
chaco canyon  #185
The sanctuary  #132
Eagle dancers at taos  #176
a view inside the gallery, adjacent to the shop,  1977
                                   Something sings  #127      Jim Slater photos
"Even in the mud and scum of things, something always, always sings."                                  
Ralph Waldo Emerson
mother and child  #50 
The penitente  #129
maestro de violino  #40 
Four Yeis  #147 
                                             Clara Yazzie  #205          Eben Pyle photo
                                                                                              Eben Pyle photo 
Torreon  #285
                                                                                                                                                                       Eben Pyle photo 
                                                                         Eben Pyle photo 
                          Paul at his welding bench with 'Torreon'  #285, in about 1980.      Eben Pyle photo
a view of the studio in January, 1977.  Snow can be seen through the windows. 
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