Black Backed Stilt by Barbara Duzan

Barbara Duzan's bronze sculpture presents a black-backed stilt in poised stillness. The work renders the bird's characteristic form with anatomical attention: elongated legs, slender neck, and compact body. Cast in bronze, the figure demonstrates the material's capacity to hold fine detail while establishing weight and presence. The sculpture's vertical orientation emphasizes the bird's natural stance, while the solid casting creates a stark contrast to the creature's delicate proportions. Through formal reduction and material choice, Duzan transforms the ornithological subject into an object of sustained formal consideration, where the stilt becomes a study in balance, verticality, and the relationship between mass and the suggestion of movement held in suspension.