Lords of the Forest
Lords of the Forest is a 72 x 84 x 40 inch figurative bronze sculpture that is located in a field to the northeast of the Liles Hotel in Riverside Park in historic downtown Bonita Springs. It is one of three bronze sculptures that was purchased by the City of Bonita Springs’ Art in Public Places Board in 2007 from Colorado sculptor Jane DeDecker (the other two being Setting the Pace and The Ties That Bind). At the time, they joined the Secret Bench of Knowledge as the only sculpted pieces in Bonita Springs’ public art collection.
DeDecker often casts a limited number of sculptures in the same edition. Bonita Springs’ Lords of the Forest is one of a total of 21 castings of the piece.
Part of Jane DeDecker’s artistic genius is her ability to select a moment to which all of us can relate on a personal level. These moments span all generations, depicting universal scenes. In this work, DeDecker captures the feeling of discovery, wonderment, power and camaraderie that children often experience in their special, secret place, whether that’s a secluded brook or glade, sundrenched mountaintop or, as here, moss-covered forest floor.
For more information about sculptor Jane DeDecker, please click here.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.