W. Stanley Proctor

 
Native Floridian W. Stanley “Sandy” Proctor has a national reputation as a professional sculptor of the highest caliber. Prior to concentrating in bronze sculpture, Sandy was an accomplished painter and stone carver whose work has been displayed at museums of national and international recognition. The State of Florida commemorated Sandy and his contribution to the arts as they inducted him into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in March 2006. After more than 30 years as a professional artist, Sandy was incredibly moved and honored to be included in such a distinguished group of talent as Ernest Hemingway, Ray Charles, Tennessee Williams, and Zora Neale Hurston, among others.

Sandy was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida and lives there today with his wife, Melinda. They raised three children, Stanley Jr., Stewart, and Peggy and Sandy has enjoyed working, in the past, with Stan, and currently with Peggy, as they manage his career and business. The constant support of his wife and family motivated Sandy to begin his career as a painter, eased his transition into three dimensional artwork as he carved alabaster and marble, and has celebrated his success as his career in bronze sculpture has grown.

Sandy attended Washington and Lee University in Virginia before pursuing an internship in Washington D.C, working for a Senator from Florida. Eventually, he began working with his father and brother in their family business in Tallahassee, Florida and raising his family. However, his painting “hobby” began to take more and more of his time, and people became increasingly interested in his artwork.

Sandy is a self-taught artist who began his career as a painter, working in watercolor, oils, and acrylic. As a child and young man, Sandy sketched and painted what he knew and what inspired him. His love of the outdoors, birds, flowers, trees, landscapes and animals provided Sandy with myriad subject matter which helped him hone his abilities to capture an identifiable essence and realism in his work. His paintings were chosen for many juried shows including Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum, Leigh Yawkey Birds in Art, Southern Watercolor Society Show, and Florida Watercolor Society Show. Additionally, his paintings traveled to shows at the Smithsonian Museum, the British Museum of Natural History, and the Royal Scottish Academy.

From painting, Sandy began pursuing more three-dimensional mediums. He carved alabaster and marble for many years, teaching himself to grind and chip away the stone to reveal the persona within. Once Sandy began working in clay and sculpting, however, he found his final love. Teaching himself clay working techniques and perfecting the use of a Styrofoam armature, Sandy has become adept at depicting people and their unique traits, characteristics and personalities as he captures and portrays moments in life.

Sandy regularly participates in many art shows around the country, and in 2004 was selected as the American Artists Professional League Award recipient for the best work best depicting traditional realism at the juried National Sculpture Society 71st Annual Awards Exhibition in New York. He has been the Featured Master Sculptor at the Southeastern WildlifeArt Exposition in South Carolina, the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival in Georgia, and the Easton Waterfowl Festival in Maryland.

Most recently, Sandy has installed numerous public and private commissions of monumental and portrait bronzes. He completed a commission of a monumental sculpture of two Navy SEALs killed in the line of duty entitled, “The Guardians,” for the Veteran’s Memorial Park in Cupertino, California and dedicated in November 2007 by Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter; Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden for Florida State University’s Doak Campbell Stadium; the “Spartan” for the University of Tampa; “Eddie Stanky” for the University of South Alabama; “Trojan” for Lincoln High School in Florida; “Father Kelly” for the Bishop England High School in South Carolina; “The Sunday Paper” for The Tallahassee Democrat in Florida; “The Brian Litz Memorial” for the Marion County Sheriff’s Department; and the “Wuerffel Trophy” for the All Sports Association’s national award named for Danny Wuerffel.

Additionally, Sandy’s art work is shown in many private galleries across the country, including Hilton Head, SC; Easton, MD; Highlands, NC; Albany, GA; Kennebunkport, ME; Destin, FL; Sedona, AZ; Palm Desert, CA; Park City, UT; Jackson Hole, WY; Frenchtown, NJ; Woodstock, VT; and Williamsburg, VA.

Sandy is equally comfortable modeling animals or people in any size. In addition to his many public commissions, Sandy continues to be sought after for private commissions and memorials. Many art collectors value Sandy’s figurative sculptures as among the finest examples of lifesize sculpture available today.