Greetings from Sculpturedale.

The season may be changing, but the sculpture weathers whatever New England might throw at us! It has been a busy year here at my studio, many visitors, much new work, lots of good press. I hope you'll enjoy some of the highlights as presented here in this newsletter.

I've added a new section to my website where new work is introduced before it is filed under appropriate categories, but do look through each section to see what is currently available.

I had a lot of fun doing some new animals, and then found I had to expand my categories to accomodate them. For example, frogs, turtles, rabbits... they are not technically farm animals, so the previous Farm Animal section is now called Farm Animals/Small Animals. And don't assume that all available work is necessarily on the website, since I often have a lag between finishing a piece and finally having it photographed and placed on the site.

Happy Holidays, and our wishes for a wonderful 2008.

Lots of new dogs are emerging from the studio and I am having great fun creating them. So far there are Hounds (Dachshund, Bloodhound Afghan Hounds,and Bassets), Sporting Dogs (Golden Retrievers, Setters), Working Dogs (Great Danes, Newfoundlands). Non-Sporting (Bulldogs), and lots of Terriers (Airedales, Welsh, Scotties, Westie), plus other unique canines. They are all life-sized...and, of course, well behaved!

Visitors! Here's a fun shot of me with a group from a rest home that came for a day's outing. A good time was had by all! School groups, often art classes, arrange for studio tours through the school year. A Boy Scout group came for a field activity. And we will be hosting a Sculpture Garden Tour and Wine in the Studio, a "prize" won by the highest bidder at a Rotary Club fundraising auction. Every weekend, in fact, there is a stream of visitors coming through the studio and enjoying the sculpture set throughout the property. If you weren't among them, please consider stopping in if you are in the area. And those of you who know your way, come again to see what's new.

Andy Williams' Moon River Theater in Branson, Missouri is where you can see many of my pieces. Andy visited Sculpturedale himself, and subsequently purchased 24 large animals. Most are on display now at the Moon River Theater, so if you are in Branson, you will have an opportunity to see a herd of elephants, a group of giraffes, lots of bears, lions, and more. Here on a high ledge, is a crouching lioness, another ledge has a mountain goat! Andy is a collector of fine art and much of it is displayed at this theater, so my work mingles with Picasso's and Warhol's and many others! It took three large trucks to transport this menagerie from Connecticut to Missouri, and the drivers later reported back to me that it was one of the most fun drives they ever had as they rolled down the interstates with giraffes and elephants standing up in the breeze! I can imagine the double takes as drivers passed!

I am proud to have sculpture at a special private garden in Millbrook, New York, which was chosen to be one of The Garden Conservancy's national show places this year. The Garden Conservancy has a garden-visiting program which organizes Open Days throughout the year, when these special gardens may be visited, and proceeds from this program go toward preservation of national treasures, conservation, education and training, etc. In Millbrook, there is a twenty-eight acre homestead lush with fine trees and perennials. The long driveway is screened with pines and maples, marking the edge of a large green field. Beckoning the eye toward the field's far edge is one of my bright red abstract pieces. In the garden complementing the poolside area, nestles a large tortoise sculpture of mine. And at the end of a sweep of bright perennials at the top of the drive is a circle where a hippo welcomes visitors.

Several magazines, a book, and another television show have featured my work this year.

Yankee Magazine's annual travel issue chose 302 places in all of the six New England states that one should visit, and Sculpturedale was one of them. A new book titled "Consumate Connecticut" recommends Sculpturedale as a destination to include. And the magazine "Connecticut Home & Garden" wrote: "Looking for a larger-than-life conversation piece for your yard? Take a ride to Sculpturedale on Route 7 in Kent, where you'll see trotting horses, leaping mountain goats, joyful dancers and playful cats--all fabricated of steel and bronze by artist Denis Curtiss...Taking a stroll through the sculptor's fascinating habitat is like going on safari, only safer..." The article goes on to interview me about how to choose sculpture for your yard, and I'll share some of my suggestions with you here to help in your decisions.

Proportions: If it's too big, a sculpture can overpower a space; too small and it gets lost. Think about whether it will live in a small space or be seen from a distance.

Dimensions: Vertical pieces look best among tree trunks, while horizontal sculptures sit more comfortably along a long hedge or wall.

Placement: The best location for yard art is one you can get to easily, and also see from a window in your home for year-round enjoyment. Interactivity: Some pieces are better suited to solitude, but sometimes it's nice to place two or more sculptures together.

Maintenance: It's a good idea to choose a sculpture that can weather the vagaries of our climate. Pieces of rusted steel keep their patina for years without any attention.

My work is generally life-size or even larger, which makes it work so well when sited outdoors in gardens and terraces. But I am asked if I have anything small, particularly by those in Manhattan who do not have room for a ten foot giraffe in their apartment! To simply miniaturize that giraffe, though, would imbalance the clean lines that I strive for. As I thought and drew, a new style emerged, which is equally uncluttered with details, but with the right balance of detail to work with a small scale while still defining the character of the animal. Thus, Basics emerged. And these were instantly popular. The size makes them placeable inside any home or apartment, though they are still durable enough to live outside on a deck or balcony. They are easily shipped, unlike a five hundred pound elephant! And they are affordable, ranging from $300 to $400, so they can be gifts, or collected as multiples.