Shortcut
"Shortcut" by Jane DeDecker
sculpture of children tip-toeing across a log
Sizes available are: if we are out of inventory please call or email to order.
in-stock medium: ©2012 ed/50 14"h 7"w 20"d bronze
relief: ©2012 open edition 5.5"h 8"w .5"d bronze
in-stockmini relief: ©2012 open edition 4"h 5.5"w .5"d bronze
Shortcut is a glimpse at family unity in its depiction of five children crossing over a fallen log to quicken their path (or possibly more adventurous and longer).
This year marks the 22nd Anniversary of the Shortcut monument placement at Lake Loveland. The monument was commissioned by the Hammond family of their children and donated to the City of Loveland. Shortcut is one of Loveland, Colorado’s most photographed, iconic sculptures in its vast collection of over 200 monuments and has become just as popular in the other communities where it has been placed.
Norma Hammond wrote a poem to accompany the piece:
“If you want to get from here to there / you take the sidewalk. / unless you’re in a hurry, / and your brother says he knows, / and you know he doesn’t know / but you’re ready for a quest / so you let him think he’s talked you into slipping through the fence.
The five of us surge over / sweet clover, grass and rye, / pick poppies, study moss / (on the north sides of the trees) / and mushrooms, / (or are they toadstools?)
And near the edge, / the roaring water, the fallen log / the fading day. / She said there was a treasure / on the other side. / He said there were trolls.
Our path winds up steep ridges, / climbs over roots and shoots / above the pale valley / far beyond the broken fence.
We push and pull each other / around another turn. / She said we were nearly there. / He said miles to go.
We pick up the pace.” -Norma Hammond
Jane DeDecker has been making a major contribution to the world sculpture scene since 1986. She has been published in magazines reaching global circulations, from Art and Antiques to European Home and Gardens. Her artistic integrity has been sought out by organizations ranging from the National Parks Service to the President of the United States. A Fellow of the National Sculptors’ Guild (1994) headquartered in Loveland, Colorado; and member of the prestigious National Sculpture Society (member since 1998, Fellow in 2007). DeDecker has gone on to receive copious awards, such as the Critics’ Choice Award from the Kimball Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX.
“My work is a cumulative process made of my life experiences and my desire to sculpt the human form. Each piece tells a story of how it was created-every stroke supporting the narrative. I can see in each of my pieces the evolution of learning and the discovery that takes place when I develop the soul and likeness of my subject.
I try to retain in the sculpture the beginning strokes and gestures, because for me they contain the truth of the spirit. The finished piece hopefully reveals my thoughtful study of the subject and the energy of the creative process.”
I try to retain in the sculpture the beginning strokes and gestures, because for me they contain the truth of the spirit. The finished piece hopefully reveals my thoughtful study of the subject and the energy of the creative process.” -Jane DeDecker
