San Juan Ridge artist creates animal kingdom out of cement

Photo by Bob Lickter Cement sculptor Solomon Bassoff is surrounded by examples of his work at the grounds to his studio on the San Juan Ridge.

Cement sculptor’s Solomon Bassoff’s colorful creations can be found at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Hummingbird Park in Sacramento and Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding.

Nevada City Advocate

The new artwork that adorns the wall of a Grass Valley veterinarian’s office is part of a collection found in public places along the West Coast.

And it is a solid addition to the lobby of For the Love of Pets at 561 Idaho-Maryland Road in Grass Valley, according to Dr. Rob Avery, who owns the business.

“It’s huge. It’s 4 by 7 feet and weighs almost 800 pounds,” Avery says of the concrete sculpture that is populated with images of real cats and dogs.

Avery said this is the second piece he’s purchased from Faducci, an art studio that creates it own kind of animal kingdom on the San Juan Ridge.

Cement sculptor’s Solomon Bassoff’s colorful creations can be found at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Hummingbird Park in Sacramento and Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding.

Bassoff says one of his more “avid collectors” recently commissioned sculptures of three dogs to replace three who died. Another private collector recently purchased a 7-foot-6 inch piece that depicts an osprey and its prey.

“As far as I know, no one handles cement in this way,” he says of their sculpting techniques.

Bassoff moved to the Ridge from Santa Cruz, where he designed and built homes and “began my love affair with cement.”

The 57-year-old had been experimenting with cement sculptures for years before it became a business about six years ago. Artist Domenica Mottarella and Bassoff started it by going to art shows and other events, including Summer Nights in Nevada City where they sold their first two big pieces.

 “After that we started going to more shows and then we got an invitation to the American Crafts Council Show in San Francisco,” Bassoff says of a breakthrough moment.

Artists need to be persistent to get public art commissions, he says. It’s not unusual to see scores of bids for a project or to see a committee invite three or four artists to submit proposals for a particular job.

“It’s pretty challenging to do public work,” says Bassoff, who believes Faducci’s “colorful, whimsical style” makes their sculptures especially appealing.

A Faducci proposal to sculpt a caterpillar has emerged as the finalist from among seven competitors for a project at Central Park in Davis. Emily Griswold, who is the project’s volunteer coordinator, said the committee wanted something children would enjoy and liked “the spirit of their work.”

Editor’s note: You can see more examples of this artwork by visiting faducci.com.