Some of the most iconic public art you will find in the Sierra foothills, the Ken Fox statues are a must-see for visitors.
There are six statues in the collection. Two – Claude Chana and the Chinese Laborer – are in the old and downtown areas of Auburn. Chana, the first known gold panner in the area, is the most visible at freeway exit 119A for Maple Street. The Chinese Laborer is in the downtown area by the Gold Rush Museum and railroad.
Fox created the other four outside his dental office on Auburn-Ravine Road. I went out to shoot them on a few different occasions and thought they definitely lent themselves to black & white images because of all the sharp contrasts in the midday sun.
As you’ll see, I also incorporate a small f-stop to bring out sunbursts. I chose to add this element with framing that emphasize a relationship between each statue and the sun. The colossal figures are so primal, that I though adding the sun as another primal element signifying some kind of godlike intelligence in the cosmos would add some visual interest to the images.
Additionally, I created a five-minute video (posted on my Youtube channel here) about the Ken Fox statues. giving a little narration and further background on the statues, as well as the images. You can also find more information about the colossal sculptures online on various sites such as Roadside America.
Thanks for visiting today and I hope you enjoyed learning a little about these awesome statues.
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For more information about me and my photography, please check out my About Me or Bio page.