Blair Buswell

Blair was born in 1956 in Ogden UT and grew up on in North Ogden where he attended elementary and Jr. High School. During those early years Blair learned that he had a talent for sculpture and was encouraged to develop that talent by several art teachers in Jr High and High School. “I discovered in Jr. High school that it was possible to make a living doing what I did for fun – Art. So during the rest of my schooling I tried to find what kind of art I was best at; I settled on sculpture”.

After graduation from Weber High, Blair enrolled at Ricks College and after graduating transferred to Utah State University and then to Brigham Young University. He attended each on both academic and athletic scholarships.

“I transferred to BYU because it had the only sculpture professor in the west teaching the fundamentals of traditional figurative sculpture. While at BYU I also had the opportunity to play football for Coach LaVell Edwards. He taught me the importance of surrounding myself with good capable people. Other professors taught me that education does not stop with a degree.”

“Experience has also taught me to do what I do best, and let others do what they do best, and that I don’t have to be the “expert” on everything. I have always been fascinated with the traditional human figure. I like the challenge of capturing the gesture, mood and expression of a person in thought, as well as the intensity of a skilled athlete in action. I enjoy sculpting a wide variety of subject matter, in a range of sizes.

My pieces are displayed in museums, private collections, college campuses, sports complexes and fine art galleries nationwide. The unique combination of artist and athlete has opened many doors for my career. My knowledge of sports came from hands-on experience as a college athlete. I am now very honored to be able to work personally with some of the greatest football players to ever play the game. Over the past 35 years, I have completed more than 115 busts of new inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio”.

A member of the Prix de West Society and a founding member of the Northwest Rendezvous Group, Blair is also a Fellow in the National Sculpture Society. Blair’s traditional training has prepared him well, always the student of his craft; he continues to push himself to learn new skills and techniques. The first two phases of the largest and most challenging project of Blair’s career were completed in 2009. In a collaborative effort, he and fellow sculptors Ed Fraughton and Kent Ullberg have produced larger-than-life-size works for downtown Omaha Nebraska.

Blair and Ed’s part of this project was the creation of a wagon train, one city block long. Blair accepted this new and daunting task as yet another opportunity to broaden his skills. In 2013 Blair was asked to complete this project with the installation of Native Americans, mountain men and a handcart family. Blair anticipates this last phase will keep him busy through 2027.

Along with his figurative work, he has now sculpted wagons, mules, oxen, horses, and other animals. He loves the old west and is excited to have had the opportunity to permanently capture its spirit as exemplified by the early pioneers.