User:Nunneleygroup/sandbox

= J. David Nunneley = A bronze sculptor who describes his style as closely resembling realistic impressionism, Nunneley has created numerous works, several of which can be viewed in the Tulsa area, such as Gilcrease museum, Tulsa International Airport and Downtown Williams on the Green.

In addition to depicting historical figures, Nunneley also creates sculptures of wildlife and commissioned bust fired in clay or cast in bronze. Over the past 25 years, he has completed 30 public and private monument commissions, in addition to more than 35 limited edition small works. His bronze monument sculptures and smaller works can be seen throughout Oklahoma and the Midwest, in addition to the rest of the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Nunneley’s work includes a large bronze monument of Sequoyah, inventor of the Cherokee language, which resides on the grounds of Gilcrease Museum. He is the only living artist to have a sculpture on the grounds of Gilcrease. Nunneley also has several statues at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The “Hannibal” statue with a cadet is located at the entrance to the military academy, as well as Football Hall of Fame Coach Earl "Red" Blaik, and Heisman trophy winners: Doc Blanchard, Glenn Davis, and Pete Dawkins.

The Will Rogers High School Community Foundation honored David Nunneley with his 2016 induction into the Will Rogers Hall of Fame.

Nunneley studied Art at the University of Oklahoma and Tulsa University. He received advanced training in sculpture at the Loveland Academy of Art in Loveland, Colorado as well as the Scottsdale School of Art in Scottsdale, Arizona. He began his professional career as an illustrator for a scientific instrument company in the 1950s. Over the next few decades, he started and sold three companies, then became Vice President of Research and Development for a major instrument company in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He holds five U.S. patents for oil and gas-related controls.

He became a full-time sculptor in 1995 after a successful business career and describes this as his most satisfying job. Prior to starting work on a piece, Nunneley begins by doing extensive research on his subjects. When creating a model sculpture, he uses a multiple-step process, starting with an oil-based model in clay. From that, a series of molds are created to achieve the final result of a bronze likeness of the subject. Nunneley currently resides in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Nunneley to build Korean War Memorial Sculpture in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
On Sept. 21, the Broken Arrow City Council authorized the City’s contract with local artist J. David Nunneley for the Korean War Memorial Sculpture.

The monument will stand approximately 80 inches tall, weigh around 800 pounds, and take between eight and nine months to build. The statue will reflect the likeness of a U.S. soldier wearing a heavy coat and holding a rifle while standing in snow surveying the landscape during the Korean War. It will be the second monument at Veterans Park sculpted by Mr. Nunneley of Broken Arrow.

“It’s a good feeling to be honored with the contract, to be commissioned for this monument,” said Mr. Nunneley.

In 2005, Mr. Nunneley and the City of Broken Arrow installed the Vietnam War monument, American Patriot. That statue depicts Broken Arrow High School graduate, Major William H. (Hank) Miesner, Jr., during his time in Vietnam.

The cost of the Korean War Memorial is $45,000 and will be paid for through the Parks Capital Fund.

In the hands of sculptor J. David Nunneley, warm slabs of malleable clay will become the bronze face of a young soldier braving the elements while keeping watch during the Korean War.

The city, commissioned Nunneley to create a bronze statue in honor of the heroes who served for a new Korean War Memorial to be installed at Broken Arrow Veterans Park, 1111 S. Main St.

When sculpting the soldier's face, Nunneley intricately designs his facial features, expressions, and the details of his clothing and armaments.

"The Broken Arrow Military History Center will loan me a helmet and an M-1 rifle so the details will be as accurate as possible," stated Nunneley.

Nunneley also uses visuals from books and the internet for inspiration but says with something like a gun, he wants to have the actual item to capture its detail and gain perspective on its size.

In a multi-stage process, the sculptor "roughs it together" by putting the clay on top of an 82-inch styrofoam form created from Nunneley's original clay sculpture, and then the process becomes more detailed. "I rough it out and build it like anatomy," he said. "I prefer to get a deep-set in the eyeballs. You put everything on it that real people have, eyelashes, eyebrows, and you are just building it from the skeleton out."

The Broken Arrow artist, who has created more than 30 life-size and larger monuments across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, says there are ways of making the eyes convey an emotion.

"You can put this one little piece in there, and it reflects in a bronze and looks very realistic," Nunneley said. "I will put a little fear or agony in his face."

Nunneley begins his creative process by sculpting a miniature statue out of clay and then creates a wax mold sealed in plaster. He then sends the wax mold to an enlarger who digitally makes a life-sized styrofoam statue based on a scan of the wax mold.

It is a tenuous process as some of the details from the original art piece will be lost in the process, and Nunneley will have to sculpt it again.

"Once I capture what I am looking for, I stop," he said.

The statue arrives from the enlarger in pieces of styrofoam that he assembles and carves to the shape and design he wants. The clay is in blocks that resemble peanut butter fudge, and he chops it up into smaller pieces and puts it in a warmer to make it more pliable.

Starting with the head on a table, he uses his hands and tools to form the clay face on the styrofoam.

The styrofoam hands are held on with a wooden dowel, and Nunneley will glue them on the arms once he has the detail of the hands to his satisfaction. He cuts the styrofoam pieces off individually, sculpts them with clay, and makes them proportionately correct.

"I take it one piece at a time," Nunneley said.