“When I began sculpting, I was determined to “out-work, out-think, and out-feel every other sculptor alive!” said Alan Cottrill.

Cottrill has a working sculptor studio with many different statues in various stages of completion. There are over 500 sculptures on display, 400 of which are bronze, and dozens of which are life-sized or larger. Anyone can walk in at just about anytime to find Cottrill throwing himself into a piece or stepping back to contemplate his next move. Watching this artist in action can be an intense sight, but when he steps out of “the zone” and sees that he has visitors, he will flash a bright smile and chat up a storm.

You can’t miss the Alan Cottrill Sculpture Studio and Museum, the largest collection of any sculptor’s work in the world. His towering bronze sculptures pour out of his two-story studio onto the roof, down the sidewalk, and across the country, including statues of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson.

The thing that everyone remembers after their visit is the breathtaking tombs on the second floor of his studio. The two become one by an outstretched palm touching outstretched fingertips in the likeness of Alan and his wife, Susan. They are lying on top of their caskets, Alan donning a ballcap, legs crossed, and carving tools in hand. Susan, lying still and angelic. Both at peace. However, this work by Cottrill will need to be finished by someone else, as the date of “completion” is not yet known.

In a word: powerful!

*Credit OhioTraveler.com