RED Development Group

was responsible for a multi-million dollar project for the Legends Plaza retail complex in Reno, Nevada.

Mark was selected to create artwork that would unify the shopping center and bring life to its five central fountains. Each fountain features 20 individual fish arranged to appear as if swimming upstream.

In the final fountain at the Plaza’s East entrance, a school of 575 cast, stainless steel fish leap together in this sculpture to form the Nevada State fish, a Lahonten Cutthroat trout.

Technical design for a sculpture of this size typically starts at what most viewers would consider the end – transportation of the finished sculpture to its installed location. Because of its size and the intricacies of its construction, Cut Throat Trout presented a potential challenge at transport. MGA worked with an aeronautical engineer to design a special frame for the sculpture with both a display and a transport position, resulting in a trouble-free arrival and install at its permanent location.

It starts small with sketches. The fish form must first be carved in expanded urethane foam to create a template for casting

Mark roughs out the trout form with hand carving tools

The completed trout is ready to coat with resin for the rotational casting process

Designed by an aeronautical engineer, the frame has both a display and a transport position.

Meanwhile, the MGA team builds a stainless steel frame onto which 575 of the cast trout will be mounted

Chris inspects the team’s progress and continues adding trout to the overall form