Cheetah Sprint

8" x 21" x 4"   Edition of 24, ©2008

"Cheetah Sprint" is the maquette for the second of three life-sized running cheetahs designed to be darting along a grassy stretch in the city of Dowagiac, Michigan.  The first in the series is an enlargement of my existing smaller sculpture, "Running Cheetah".  The third, the lead one of the group, depicts this most graceful of big cats in one of those amazing sharp controlled turns that only a cheetah can execute.

The cheetah is legendary for its incredible speed, capable of reaching 70 miles per hour in the heat of the chase, and these three sculptures together depict the three main characteristics of that famed running style.  The cheetah’s non-retractable claws grip the ground as its legs gather beneath the arched back and then, with amazing speed and strength, the spine stretches out to full length, propelling the cat forward to then gather its legs again and repeat the rhythmic stride, so swift that it can only be fully appreciated with slow motion photography.  With its head held perfectly level as if connected to its prey with an invisible thread, this amazing cat can execute lightning fast sharp turns, using its long tail for balance.

The cheetah is built for speed, not for fighting, and often, when the the huge effort of the high-speed chase is successful, the graceful cat is forced to relinquish its meal to a stronger, more aggressive lion or hyena.