Veryl Goodnight

Veryl Goodnight was born loving animals and the American West. These two elements have been the focus of her art for over three decades. "Working from life was initially an excuse to be outdoors and near the horses, birds, and many other animals that shared my life," Veryl relates. "Having a living, breathing model nearby not only provides information that a thousand photos couldn't convey, it keeps me excited. Working from life also keeps me from becoming repetitious."

Veryl has been featured in all major American art magazines and exhibits in prestigious shows - Artists of America, Denver, Colorado, Great American Artists, Masters of the American West, Los Angeles, California and the Cheyenne Governor's Invitational, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Professional organizations include: Membership in the National Sculpture Society, Society of Animal Artists and the Northwest Rendezvous. During Veryl's sculpting career, she has placed work in private and corporate collections throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Her seven-ton bronze monument to freedom, "The Day The Wall Came Down," is located at the George Bush Presidential Library. In 1998, a second or "sister" casting of this monument was delivered to Germany by the U. S. Air Force and unveiled at the Allied Museum in Berlin by former President George Bush. In October of 2000 Veryl was the recipient of the Central Intelligence Agency's "Agency Seal Medallion" for this sculpture. The medallion is inscribed "For your vision of freedom, patriotism and expression of the human spirit." Other monuments are on display at The Cowboy Hall of Fame Museum in Oklahoma City; the Houston Astrodome; Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina; Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Miyama Building, Tokyo, Japan; Lely Resort in Naples, Florida; and The Old West Museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming.