Maquon Native's Life-Size Bronze Sculpture is Chosen for Peoria Sculpture Walk

2019 Jun 4

Elizabeth (Liz) Johnson of Maquon created a life-size bronze figure that was chosen for the Sculpture Walk Peoria.

Johnson is a 2018 Bradley graduate who double majored in graphic design and sculpture. She is also a former Kottemann Scholar currently taking nondegree-seeking graduate level courses at Bradley.

She created the sculpture titled Prometheus I. It's her first life-size bronze sculpture and it was created in the Bradley University sculpture studio. The 6 ft tall, 5 ft long figure weighs 500 pounds and was in 28 different pieces of bronze that she TIG welded together taking nearly 230 days to complete.

Johnson says she was inspired by a world where nature meets man. "Prometheus I serves as the first trial of man as he introduces himself to nature. He is the engineer that understands the tension of nature, allowing it to manipulate him while representing a compromise and the release of instability."

In order to finish her sculpture on time, she would spend 5 hours a night in the sculpture studio, after a full day of work, and then 8-10 hour days in the studio on the weekend.

The sculpture is on display at 428 SW Washington Street in Peoria and will remain on display until April of 2020.