BETTYE HAMBLEN TURNER
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Paladin is the fifth in the Texas Longhorn bull series of sculptures by Bettye Hamblen Turner. He is welded stainless steel, carbon steel, and recycled auto and motorcycle parts. 

The carbon steel will attain a deep rust patina over time. All stainless steel and chrome pieces were welded using stainless steel wire with helium/argon/co2 gas in a MIG welder. This construction method prevents corrosion of those metals and the welds that connect them.

Turner begins the sculpture by fabricating a 2 ½” x ¼” pipe armature which dictates the posture of the bull. She next works from the ground up and the inside out, layering rust inside silver for visual depth. The stainless and carbon steel is new material which starts as flat sheets or rods. The recycled chrome is carefully cut and fitted from existing shapes much like constructing a puzzle. The size of the rods are chosen for their structural requirements and used as a varied thickness of line, as one would normally see in a drawing.

Turner shapes the steel pieces by hand into complex curves using both hot and cold bending techniques. Even the smallest pieces can require up to 40 discreet bends to describe the contour of the animal.  The swirl motif common to her work is a metaphor for the strength and motion of these marvelous animals. 

The term “Paladin” was originally used in Ancient Rome for a chamberlain of the Emperor and the Imperial Palace guards. Paladin was title for major noblemen in the Middle Ages, evolving to the contemporary usage in literature and fantasy games as a benevolent, heroic champion or the defender of a good cause. Paladin was the code name of the Richard Boone’s champion-for-hire character in the 1960’s television series Have Gun – Will Travel. 

Boone’s character preferred to settle disputes without violence, but could be deadly when necessary. The name seems fitting for the animal that was once so wild and fierce it successfully fought bears and now serves as the gentle ambassador for Texas.