In this fast moving world nothing can be more amazing than to watch as gifted sculptor Alonzo joyfully transforms a piece of clay with his magical hand into the form of an animal figure with great accuracy. Alonzo who is recognized as one of the world’s prodigious savants was severely disabled as a young child because of a head injury. This injury has significantly changed the way he thinks and learns. This same injury also marvelously gave him a very special gift of creating amazingly accurate sculptures of animals. He demonstrates his sculpting at schools in the area to inspire creativity in children. Alonzo has been featured on many programs such as 60 Minutes, the Discovery Channel’s World of Wonder and many more. Other than enjoying sculpting he takes interest in power lifting, in which he has competed at the Special Olympics for several years. Nancy, Alonzo's long-time assistant and advocate has answered on his behalf.

What is your largest sculpture so far? Which animal is your favorite for sculpting and what do you like about that animal?A:  In the late 1980s, Alonzo made a life-sized sculpture of three Arabian foals, running and jumping side by side. This was definitely his most exciting project as a sculptor, and he has longed for another opportunity to do a big piece ever since. Generally speaking, horses and cattle are his favorite subjects, although he enjoys sculpting all the large mammals. He is attracted to them as subjects because of their size, beauty, and especially POWER.

How do you usually decide what to sculpt? How has your technique changed over the years?A: As with most artists, Alonzo responds to an inner motivation or inspiration that is hard to define. I'm not sure that his technique has changed much, but his pieces did improve in their accuracy as he had more opportunities to see these animals in person or in books.

What is your favorite creation so far? How long did it take you to finish that piece?A: The life-sized "Three Frolicking Foals" was definitely his favorite. He completed each of the little horses in about one week.

Can you tell us more about your school visits? What kind of questions do you get from the kids?A: In a school presentation, Alonzo sits down with a "baked potato" sized piece of clay, and proceeds, in just minutes, to form whatever animal he is making. If the session is an hour or so, he may make two or three sculptures. An assistant (me, or another friend) tells some of his amazing story as he works, and also "translates" or expands upon things Alonzo says, so everyone can understand his meaning. The questions are much like the ones you are asking: what are his favorite subjects to sculpt, how often does he make art, does he remember when he started to sculpt, how is it that he and I understand each other so well, how are the wax/clay models turned into bronze sculptures, and so on. Often the children are also curious about the childhood accident that caused his brain injury, but neither of us can answer that question. Also, because he "stands out" as a black man in a predominately white community, they are curious about where he is from (Denver, just down the road). Sometimes a child would ask him his age, which always made him feel very uncomfortable--he despises the whole concept of aging! Together, we talked about how he could answer that question, and the phrase he came up with was "Young Forever!"

Who is your favorite artist? Which of his/her artwork inspires you the most?A: I don't believe that he has a favorite artist, but he does enjoy looking at both paintings and sculptures in publications such as Southwestern Art. He likes Remington and Russell. In general, he most appreciates art that is like his own, focusing on accurate depictions of the animals. More abstract art does not especially interest him. Also, he is not interested in fantasy creatures such as dragons or unicorns; he relates to real, live animals. And although he loves "big," dinosaurs also don't interest him because they are not alive on the planet today. When he sees large sculptures of his favorite animals around in the community, that gets him very excited.

You have participated in special Olympics for weightlifting. How did you get involved in this sport?A: Alonzo participated in Special Olympics in power lifting (dead lift, bench press, and squat) for about 6 years. He got into this sport because one of his community jobs is working at the YMCA. After he completed his work, he went regularly to the weight room. He has loved the whole concept of building up his muscles, and generally the feeling of power.

What do you like to do when you are with your family/friend?A: With family and friends, he likes to go to movies, eat out, and mostly laugh a lot!

What is your favorite place to visit? What do you like about that place?A: He most loves to visit places with the animals he sculpts: the Denver Zoo, the National Western Stock Show, and local ranches with llamas, bison, big horses, and interesting cattle.

What are your other hobbies?A: Aside from art, his next big passion is power lifting, for sure! But also, in regard to art, he also enjoys doing oil pastel drawings. Especially in the summer, when his sculpting material starts to feel "tacky" and unpleasant to his touch, he produces the oil pastels instead. They have a very different look to them than his sculptures, and they do not especially benefit from the "savant wiring" of his brain. But they do come from the purely artistic part of his nature, and are distinctive and bold.

Any special message for our community?A: The main thing he wants to express is: Don't do graffiti!! He sees that some taggers do have artistic skills, but they are using them in the wrong way, damaging other people's, or public, property.