*Figurative, stylized, whimsical and sometimes comically odd, are the birds and beasts created by James Rivington Pyne. Pyne was a Mainer. Maybe not born and raised, but he had certainly done his time. He was a life-long summer resident who just couldn’t stay away. There is just something about this state that captures a heart and soul and refuses to let go. Born in Pennsylvania, educated in Massachusetts and Tennessee Pyne received his degree at the University of Pennsylvania. For 15 years he taught English in the Philadelphia public school system. A summer resident of Maine all his life, he moved to Maine permanently in 1982 to write, raise sheep and to sculpt. In 1985, Pyne became interested in making sculptures. Except for one class in clay modeling and another in sketching, he is self-taught. He began working with driftwood then moved to other media such as plaster, epoxies, casting stone and bronze. Many of his composite pieces consist of armatures made of steel and wood overlaid with layers of epoxy filler. Bits and pieces of wood splinters and chips resembling wings and feathers are incorporated in the epoxy; then the whole is painted with acrylics. Several sculptures are available in limited-edition bronzes. What is especially poignant in encountering Pyne’s sculpture is the emotional interaction and relationship between the various figures and oneself. Certain quirks, distortions or exuberances, which are markedly human, connect us with feelings and moods so familiar: The solitary and the communal, the active and the passive, the ecstatic and the dejected; some aspect will surely touch in a direct or subtle way. His major works were cast in bronze. He exhibited in numerous invitational and juried shows in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Maine. Pyne is represented in galleries in Maine and California. He was a member of the New England Sculpture Association. Pyne’s spirituality was an important part of his life and a guide for him. In addition, his family and friends will always remember him for his wry sense of humor, his great intellect, and his unlimited curiosity and understanding of the human condition. He had many joys; above all, was the romance he had with his wife, and also his love of classical music, Maine in all its splendors, and in his art.