“A Good Life” SS

"A Good Life" SS, Standard Smooth Bronze Dachshund - Joy Kroeger Beckner

SS: Standard Smooth

Available for Immediate Acquisition

Awards & Exhibitions - Selected Exhibitions of all sizes of "A Good Life"

Best Sculpture! “A Good Life” Long, 1:6, 31st Annual International Miniature Art Exhibition, Seaside Art Gallery, Nags Head, SC. 2022.

Pietro Montana Memorial Award, “A Good Life” SS, 88th Annual Juried Exhibition, Hudson Valley Arts Association at the Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme, CT. 2021

Finalist, 15th Annual Art Renewal Center Salon. 2020. “A Good Life” MW. The Art Renewal Center, ARC, wrote this: “This year we have 1006 Finalist works by 640 artists, representing 32% of 4941 works submitted from 83 countries.” I am happy to have made Finalist as most of the works are two dimensional.

The Mary Kay and Paul Jeynes Memorial Award for an Animal Bronze Sculpture, “A Good Life” SS, 107th Exhibition of Allied Artists of America. Online. 2020.

Award of Second Place in Sculpture & Scrimshaw, “A Good Life” Wire, 1:6, 45th Annual International miniature Art Show, Miniature Art Society of Florida, Dunedin, FL. 2020

Award of Second in Sculpture, “A Good Life” SS, Online Members Only Show, American Artists Professional League. NYC. 2020.

Phillip Eisenberg Memorial Award, “A Good Life” SS, Salmagundi Club Annual Members’ Exhibition, NYC. Online. 2020.

Second Place, Sculpture, “A Good Life” Wire, 1:6 Scale, 45th International Miniature Art Show, Miniature Art Society of Florida, Dunedin, FL. 2020.

First Place Sculpture, “A Good Life” Wire, 1:6 Scale, 85th Annual International Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature, Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Graver Society of Washington, D.C. (MPSGS) 2018.

National Geographic Society, “A Good Life” SS. Encore Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists’ National Tour, Washington, D.C., 2000-2001.

Purchase Award, The Bennington Center for the Arts, “Art of the Animal Kingdom V National Tour”, purchased “A Good Life” MS for the Ella Carothers Dunnegan Gallery of Art, Bolivar, MO. $ Permanent Collection, 2001.

Audubon Silver Medal of Honor, “A Good Life” MS, Audubon Artists, Inc. 58th Annual Exhibition, NYC. 2000.

Leonard J. Meiselman Memorial Award for Realistic Sculpture. Society of Animal Artists, Inc., 40th Annual Members Exhibition. 2000.

The Library of Hattiesburg, MS, “A Good Life” MS, National Small Sculpture Exhibition, 2000, Hattiesburg, MS, $ Permanent Collection. 2000.

National Sculpture Society Silver Medal & John Cavanaugh Memorial Prize, “A Good Life” SS, 66th Annual Exhibition, SC & NYC. 1999.

Best in Show! “A Good Life” SS, American Women Artists Second National Competition, Taos, NM. 1999.

Ellin P. Speyer Prize, “A Good Life” SS, National Academy Museum, 173rd Annual Exhibition, New York, NY. 1998.

Anna Hyatt Huntington Cash Award, “A Good Life” SS, Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, Inc. 102nd Annual Open Exhibition, NYC, 1998.

Margaret Sussman Memorial Award – Best in Show! “A Good Life” SS, The Pen & Brush 51st Annual Sculpture Exhibition, NYC. 1998

The Barbara Shoemaker Award, “A Good Life” SS, HIll Country Arts Foundation, Confluence 1998, 26th Annual National Juried Painting & Sculpture Exhibition, Ingram, TX, 1998.

Best in Show! Best Sculpture, Best Dachshund, Best Missouri Artist, “A Good Life” SS, The Art Show at the Dog Show 11th Annual Exhibition, Wichita, KS. Purchased for the AKC Museum of the Dog. 1997.

Best in Show! “A Good Life” SS, Dog Fanciers Club, Inc., 10th Contemporary American Dog Art Competition, NYC. Juried by the honorable Iris Love at Sardis. 1997.

Three Dimensional, First Place, Arts Center of the Ozarks, “A Good Life” SS, 3rd Annual Artists of Northwest Arkansas Fall Regional Exhibition, Springdale, AK. 1997.

Ella Jens Boeschenstein Memorial Sculpture Prize, “A Good Life” SS, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, 84th Annual Sculpture Exhibition, Clayton, MO, 1997.

In time, I will discover the name of each of the following awards for “A Good Life.” Thank you for your patience.

Chambersburg Council for the Arts, 13th Annual Exhibition of Miniature Art, Chambersburg, PA. Award. 2010.

The Associated Artists of Southport, “A Good Life” MS, 21st Annual National July Exhibition, Franklin Square Gallery, Southport, NC. Award. 2001.

Seaside Art Gallery, “A Good Life” Smooth, 1:6 Scale, 6th International Miniature Show, Nags Head, NC, Award. 1998

National League of American Pen Women, 16th Annual Women’s National Juried Art Exhibition, Springdale, AK. Award. 1997.

Fine Arts Institute of the San Bernardino County Museum, 34th Annual Open International Exhibition, Redlands, CA., Award.

Artists’ Atelier of Atlanta, National Miniature Show, Atlanta, GA. Award.

Dogs of St. Louis Artists: An Artist Registry Exhibition. September 8, 2016 – February 19, 2017. The AKC Museum of the Dog, St. Louis MO.

Dimensions

“A Good Life” depicts a position every dog enjoys, stretching and massaging its back. Modeled life-sized from life, from nature, and a bit from photographs, this is a loving combination of Anna and Lizzie, whom you are about to meet.

In the spring of 1996, though her health was failing, our dear Anna posed on her back in her bed through about two-thirds of this clay. She appeared to be comfortable, though she had heart and bladder problems. Anna died during the early hours of May 7. Through tears, I did the hardest thing I have ever done. I completed a front foot and a back foot. I worked on one side of her face and by 5 o’clock I could do no more. I buried my friend in the grave my husband, Brian, had dug earlier in the day.

For three weeks, I could not go into my studio. May 31, 1996 was the Dachshund Club of St. Louis Specialty Show. At the invitation of my dachshund anatomy mentor, Judge Weldon B Long, I took “Dreaming of Tomatoes” SS and told breeders I was looking for a new model — a standard, smooth, mahogany bitch with a good head. I would show her only through my sculpture. Springfield, MO breeder, Rita Toombs, came to my rescue with a gorgeous, retired, spayed, show girl, Braaehaus Hometown Girl, call name, Lizzie. I told Brian all about her and the very next day we drove six hours to get her.

Two days after Lizzie came home, I started to finish “A Good Life.” I was particularly interested to see the differences between Anna and Lizzie, who was from a top Canadian breeder. The head evolved into Lizzie’s head but the body is essentially Anna’s. The necessity of using two models was a blessing — the piece could not have been as exciting otherwise! Friends kept saying what ‘a good life’ Anna had. Naming this piece was much easier than making it.

“A Good Life” SS, number 1/20, was completed in bronze August 2, 1996. I modeled the 4 3/4” version, directly in wax, from the life-sized version. In November 1999, I limited the 1/6 scale version to 99. Below the 60s, each is simply numbered. A dog show judge commissioned the 21” life-sized “miniature.” I modeled it by hand based on measurements taken from a friend’s champion miniature.

“A Good Life” SS, 6/20 is in perfect condition and available for adoption. This is an amazing opportunity to own a dachshund bronze that is in two museum collections!