"Dream Chasers-Best of Breed" Miniature Bronze Sculpture by Sculptor Joy Beckner | Classical realism, from hounds to humans

"Dream Chasers - Best of Breed" earned Second Place in Animal Art out of over 2000 entries in The Artist's Magazine's 16th Annual International Competition. It was noted in an article in the December 1999 issue. "Dream Chasers" earned First Place in the category of Sculpture at the Fifteenth Contemporary American Dog Art Competition sponsored by the Dog Fanciers, Inc., NYC and it was also exhibited in the 53rd Annual Sculpture Exhibition at the Pen & Brush, Inc., NYC.

Each "Dream Chaser" is mounted by hand to a handmade, two-ply bronze base:

• Two sheets of bronze plate, 1/8" and .54", are cut to size.
• .54" plate is drilled and, from the bottom, the 1/8" plate is welded to the top. A 1/8" reveal graces the top edge.
• The fabricated base is lightly polished.
• True to the trot, each dachshund is balanced on two feet. Each foot is drilled from the bottom.
• A bronze wire is soldered to the hole in the foot. The wire in the foot is welded from the bottom to the base.
• Holes in the bottom of the base are welded full and ground smooth.
• Hand-cut felt is attached to the bottom.

Three specialists in two cities shear, cut and fabricate each base. My metal chaser attaches each dog. I apply the felt.

While these sculptures may appear strong, the strength is an illusion! The delicate mounting and base patina are fragile. Protect from scratches, handle with love and care, and gently lift by the base.

Weldon B Long Memorial The Weldon B Long memorial came about as a combined effort of the Dachshund Club of St. Louis and Joy Beckner, the sculptor. To learn more about this nearly perpetual memorial – there are 45 plaques on it please click here to read about it on the Dachshund Club of St. Louis site.

The Dachshund Club of St. Louis Logo

Joy Kroeger Beckner, sculptor, granted permission for the Dachshund Club of St. Louis to use her image of her sculpture "Dream Chaser Best of Breed" as their logo, with artists credit and photo credit for Mel Schockner, where size permits. The actual digital rendering of Joy's design with her sculpture and the St. Louis Arch was created by a person at Onofrio Dog Shows in the early 2000s. It seems fitting to memorialize Weldon B Long with this sculpture since, as Joy's anatomy mentor, he taught her Dachshund Anatomy 101. We all miss Weldon. What a sweet guy and oh, did he like to share stories!