“Big Beaver Torso”
A. Phimister Proctor is one of the most prolific sculptors of western themed art. Proctor excelled at public monuments, Native American portraits as well as wildlife sculptures. Big Beaver, a Blackfoot Indian, modeled several times for Proctor on the reservation, at Proctor’s home in California, and at his studio in New York City. The artist’s grandson, Phimister Proctor “Sandy” Church, founded the A. Phimister Proctor Museum near Seattle to preserve the legacy of his grandfather’s art. Church commissioned artist Jeff Oens for the restoration of his grandfather’s plasters to be recast in bronze and patinated by Two Ravens Studio.