This web site is an introduction to the bronzes, paintings and artistic accomplishments in design – garden, house and furniture – of J. Clayton Bright. Whether it is in painting or sculpture, Clayton combines his keen power of observation with his highly skilled craftsmanship to produce art that radiates with life.
His paintings transport you to the scene, conveying the same emotion it invoked in Clayton, that something which sparked the idea for the painting in him. The sculptures capture the natural pose, attitude and expression of the model, whether it is a person or animal. In both cases Clayton’s control of his craftsmanship enables his vision to become reality. Clayton’s art always radiates energy and a sense of recognition in the eye of the beholder.
The subject matter of the bronzes ranges from people to a wide variety of animals, both wild and domesticated. Clayton works only from life, so he can gather his understanding of the model’s personality. This insistence on creating from life necessitates his working where the model is, be that a barn, a field, or a house.
His quest for knowledge led Clayton to attend his wife’s anatomy classes when she was attending veterinary school. At other times he has waited for the return of spring in order to see a certain type of behavior in an animal. Once he lay on the ground at the base of a three and a half foot fence while a friend jumped a horse over him, the purpose being to gain an understanding of the horse’s stomach muscles when it jumped.
Even when doing a seemingly generic subject: a hound running, a kestrel or a child on her pony, Clayton chooses a particular model who reflects his vision. He then captures in clay or paint the natural pose, attitude, and expression. It is as if he has taken a snapshot which gathers in everything that is significant in the subject. This is where his control of his craftsmanship enables this vision to become reality. The resulting paintings and bronzes radiate tremendous energy and bring to the observer a sense of warm recognition of the subject matter.
Clayton’s unique talents have resulted in the placement of his bronzes and paintings in numerous private and corporate collections in the United States, Europe, South America and Japan. His work is also represented in the collections of several museums. A 50-page catalogue of life size and table size bronzes is available. The price and availability of any piece is subject to change; this information is available on request.