'Cor Leonis' donated to city
Photo by Christy Williams Dunton Artist Michael Ford Dunton and donors Spike and Sue Dunton pose with "Cor Leonis" at McEuen Park.
A new public artwork looks out on Lake Coeur d'Alene from McEuen Park.
The abstract piece was sculpted by Coeur D'Alene native Michael Ford Dunton, a Coeur d'Alene High School class of '86.
The 10-foot tall stainless steel sculpture, "Cor Leonis", was recently donated to the city by the parents of the artist, Spike and Sue Dunton.
"My process is not finding a form to express an idea, the form sets itself in my mind first. As it takes shape, I discover what it says, or means, to me," he said. "That is my hope for the viewer, that the object engages them, moves something in them and its definition is theirs."
It is solar powered for a subtle night light, which glows from within the curved, cold formed welded steel artwork.
"Cor Leonis is a musing on source, emergence and growth, Dunton said. "During the 700 hours of its creation, I came to imagine it as a living pod out in the depths of the universe birthing the seeds of stars that would drift out to light the sky."
Cor Leonis is old Latin for "Heart of the Lion".
According to a press release, the donation is inspired by the beauty of Coeur D'Alene itself, "having given so much to the Duntons, they are pleased to give back with the public artwork.
"Growing up in Coeur d'Alene deeply influenced my artistic approach, my first inspirations from the natural world, so it feels great to have this piece find its home here," Dunton said.