“Life’s a Ball” SS
“Life’s a Ball” SS, Life-size Standard Smooth Dachshund Sculpture in Bronze by Joy Beckner
Art on the Avenues photo by Cheryl Taylor
Permanent Collection: Tails & Trails Dog Park, at Queeny Park, St. Louis County, MO. 2022
Permanent Collection: Brookgreen Gardens, Murrels Inlet, SC. 2020
Permanent Collection: Art on the Avenues, Wenachee, WA. 2020
“Performance in Sculpture” exhibition at the David A. Straz, Jr., Center for Performing Arts, Tampa, FL. 2015-2017
AWA Gold, 16th Annual Master Signature Members Exhibition, American Women Artists, RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX.
Honorable Mention, SCNY Members’ Online Summer Potpourri Exhibition 2013, Salmagundi Club, NYC
Honorable Mention, 85th Grand National Exhibition, American Artists Professional League, NYC.
Best Missoiuri Artist & Two Additional Awards, The Art Show at the Dog Show, 16th Annual Exhibition, Wichita, KS.
National Sculpture Society, 1998 Annual Exhibition, The Americas Tower, NYC.
National Sculpture Society, “Everyday Life” Fall 1999 exhibition in The Americas Tower Lobby, NYC.
“Life’s a Ball!” SS
Life-sized Standard Smooth 28 1/2”L x 14 1/2”H x 10”D
Bronze Ed. of 20 & 2 Artist’s Proofs ©1998. Approx. 65 pounds.
2022: Edition closed after 13 casts.
This life-sized bronze was inspired by my standard, smooth dachshund, Ch. Retdachs Brwneyed Hansomboy AKA Edgar Allen Nose or J. Edgar Pooter! As a puppy, Edgar often played with his Buster CubeTM. He would twist and turn his body while trying to wrestle food out of this toy. His contortions, strength, and determination fascinated me. The cube evolved into a ball, “On the Ball.” The pup evolved into a “man” and the ball into a bigger ball. Weldon Long, my dachshund anatomy mentor, nicknamed the dog in the sculpture, Herky for Hercules, because he is so big and strong! Edgar is a happy, outgoing boy. He inspired the name.
A grand, twisted S-curve, “Life’s a Ball!” SS is my first work to be juried into two exhibitions at the National Sculpture Society: the 1998 Annual Exhibition and Everyday Life, a Fall 1999 exhibition in the Americas Tower Lobby, NYC. “Life’s a Ball!” SS earned three awards at the Art Show at the Dog Show, Wichita, KS.
Each “Life’s a Ball” is made by hand, one at a time, in Colorado, USA. Each is signed, numbered, and includes my mark, 
Enjoy!
©2023 JOY KROEGER BECKNER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
