The Prince of New York Waterways

Commissioned for the Historic Hudson Valley’s event LIGHTSCAPES, this sculpture is made of recycled materials and was inspired by the New York bullfrog. In May and June when he returns to the New York waterways he will be the “Prince” of the shoreline. Building on the “Frog Prince” or also known as “Iron Henry” a fairytale with deep roots in Gothic folktales to create the sculpture.

Using repurposed material, the sculpture is made of a wrought iron body armature filled with green multi sized Lucite balls, providing the course texture of the frog. The front and hind legs and crown are also made of steel and are attached to the armature separately. The front and hind legs are lined with plastic accentuated the Gothic pattern when light shines through. On the end of the feet are Lucite balls with lights inside. Multi-colored and various sized Lucite bowls are used for the spots on the front and back of body. The eyes are Lucite balls seated in a metal ringed pastry dish. The jewels on his crown are also halved Lucite balls.

Lights outline the armature, crown and front/back feet. Lights also shine inside the armature through the Lucite balls and shine through the feet. All the metal is painted gold and green. The sculpture stands approximately 6 feet tall x 4 feet wide.

The Prince of New York Waterways can be viewed throughout each month of May at the Van Cortlandt Manor in the village of Croton-on-Hudson for the LIGHTSCAPES event.