WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS

Jackpot artist David Wirth's sculpture another
Cabo Tuna Jackpot original -- with a custom twist

Marine sculptor David Wirth creates another beautiful, original sculpture for Cabo, this time a bronze yellowfin tuna that allows for further customization by its new owner after the awards dinner/charity auction Nov. 8

BY PAT McDONELL
WON Staff Writer

CABO SAN LUCAS-- Renowned marine sculptor and for the third straight year the official Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot Artist of the Year, David Wirth's works are literally "on fire.

ARTIST DAVID WIRTH is really "burning up" these new patina colors such as "Pele's Fire" and "Lava." These colored patinas are his vision of the creation of the Hawaiian Islands "by way of molten lava thus transforming my creations in Molten Bronze and Fiery colored patinas."He will have an original piece ready for the charity auction at the Tuna Jackpot.

Wirth is excited about celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 10th annual Western Outdoor News Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot Tournament, and this year, after two magnificent hardwood carvings that fetched $5,000 and $4,500 the past years in an auction for a Cabo childrens facility Los Ninos Del Capitan, Wirth has created something special for the awards dinner auction this year. Born of a unique wood carving, Wirth has created a one-of-a-kind bronze sculpture for the Tuna Jackpot bronze piece with the new bronze limited edition artwork.

"This is a special piece," said Wirth. "It came out beautiful, and it's not just unique as a collector's item for its beauty and as an original piece, but also because the winner of the auction will have a choice of what baitfish they can have the tuna chasing, and I'll create them to be added to the base. So it's also a custom piece of art. I really wanted to make this third piece special and original for this tournament and for the charity. I visited the Los Ninos Del Capitan facility and it's great work they do and it's so needed for the kids who have just one parent. More of these are needed everywhere. It's my way of contributing."

At age 44, Wirth is one of the country's most renowned award-winning hardwood marine-life sculptors, with works showcased in an increasing number of galleries worldwide.

Wirth continues, of course, to show his art in galleries and at shows, displaying the works for which he's best known, intricate pieces, some from a variety of rare and exotic hardwoods found on four continents; woods chosen because of their uniqueness and color. Wirth says citrus, live oak, olive and black walnut all from California are among his favorites along with indigenous woods of Hawaii such as mango, Cook pine, koa, milo, monkey pod or macadamia nut plus mahogany, buttonwood and sea grape found in Florida.

"I have a number of friends who are on the look-out for unusual shapings of dead wood from storm debris collection like the ones we recently had in Hawaii in December. Some of the rescued wood will sit to dry and cure for five years or more. Ninety percent of the logs I use are dead or dying."

To the very creative and discerning eye of Wirth each piece of wood could be the next unique three-dimensional canvas at one of his art studio/workshops in Hawaii, California or the Florida Keys.

Not counting his very popular and eye-catching wooden hooks which are given as impressive awards or presented as special mementos of gratitude by such worldwide conservation and fishing bodies as the IGFA, Wirth estimates he produces some 30 works a year.

His new "On Fire" bronze pieces, each created from a mold of carved hardwood, come in various patinas, but his "eye-catcher" patina is Hawaiian Lava.

TUNA JACKPOT DIRECTOR Pat McDonell holds the newest Tuna Jackpot sculpture by artist David Wirth. The bronze tuna is an original piece, and will be auctioned off Saturday night, Nov. 8, at the gala awards dinner at Puerto Paraiso mall. The proceeds will again go Los Ninos Del Capitan childrens center in Cabo.

"I've been experimenting with bronze for five years and decided to make the leap and bet the farm and to do this on my own," he said. "All of my bronzes are created in hardwood originals so it's really a whole different ball game as opposed to sculpting in clay or wax. There is no room for error or changing my mind once the project is started. This actually is what makes my work so dramatic, animated and most importantly so totally different than anybody else's works.

"'On Fire' is just that. I'm really burning up these new patina colors such as "Pele's Fire" and "Lava". These colored patinas are my vision of the creation of the Islands by way of Molten Lava thus transforming my creations in Molten Bronze and Fiery colored patinas."

Besides the sea horses and five types of Hawaiian style circle hooks he's also created a mahi mahi, and sailfish and is in progress with yellowfin tuna, wahoo, blue marlin and birds of paradise."

"I've been creating new and resurrecting fantastically animated bonze sculptures and working on new sculpture concepts, colors and shapes to bring life to what I see."

You can see more about David Wirth and his artwork at www.davidwirth.com