In 2012, my brother, who was living at our old house, called and said that the gardener had found and killed a rattlesnake in the backyard. I asked him what had been done with the snake and he said it had been thrown in the garbage. I asked him if he could put it in a bag and give it to me. He went through the garbage and found the snake. He said that the body was a mess but that the head had been decapitated and was in pretty good condition. I asked him if he would bring it in and after I took a look I decided I would cast it. I cast it in bronze and for a while we did some experimentation with oxidation. But I never showed or really shared the works. It wasn’t until the Chinati Foundation asked me to do an edition of sorts that I realized they needed to be cast in American sterling silver and brought to Texas.
Mark Grotjahn
Auction Results Mark Grotjahn
