Las Vegas – Kerry Jo (Furillo) Bauer completed another spectacular display for Las Vegas’s Hotel Bellagio to celebrate the Chinese New Year’s Year of the Horse. She made seven horses for display at the Bellagio to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Kerry Jo is the lead figure finisher for the company “Animal Makers” owned by Jim and Coral Bolden. She and her team, Lina Geer and Lauren Wilde, were responsible for all hair details. The horse’s fur is done by an electro static process called Flocking, a specialty trade effect used among figure finishers in the movie industry. Kerry’s team flocked very realistic horses. The fur has amazing detail in various lengths, gradiant in colors and swirls. The horses even have eyelashes. Their manes were woven on a frame and styled in a “flying” matter to represent running horses.
When asking Kerry about her work, she gives much of the credit to the other three departments. She explains that she is just the decorator of the “art.” It all starts with the Mechanics/Engineers, lead Ron Roland and Devin Maxon, who build the frames for the sculptors and/or create the movement. The frame is given to the Art Department, the sculptors and mold makers. Animal Maker’s master sculptor is Jianzhong Zhang and in his department is Anthony Steward. The sculpt is given next to the Figure Finisher Department and then to the Paint department, Megan Janzen and Michael Fox. “It’s crazy when you think about it. We are all independent artists with artist personalities, depending on each other in order to do our job. And yet, somehow, we are able to come together and create one cohesive piece of art.”
Kerry Jo is a graduate of James A. Garfield High School and received her BA at Kent State University and MA at Ohio University.
