Texas Jack

For those of you who are not native to Denton, to Texas, to the southwest, or, I’ve come to understand to ‘big sky country’, a jackalope is the rare cross between a jack rabbit and an antelope – resulting in a creature that looks like a large rabbit with a set of antlers. Feel free to look it up, if you don’t believe your friendly neighborhood Dentonista. OR, you can take it on faith that such an animal exists, if some artist would go to the trouble of combining barbecue (the national sport and religion of Texas) with the jackalope, to create a working smoker\BBQ altar.

BA-BAM!

Now I know you know I love Denton for the crazies; well I also love the free-spirited artists. And this here is an example not just of art, but craft. Art feeds your soul, but Texas Jack (and his creators) feed your, you know, stomach too.

I wish I could give you a sense of scale for this bad boy... Do you see the bar on his 'saddle' area, above the platform, on the right of the trailer? The platform is for the pit master to stand on, and the handle opens his smoking belly! Now, while you're at it, take a good look at old TJ. Delicacy prevents me from being too specific, but perhaps you’ll notice the grease drain/trap? The, ahem, anatomically correct trap? That’s a buck jackalope there, giving credence to the phrase “pure brass ones”.

I think this sculpture is so noteworthy, that I have been known to drive out of town visitors by. You want to see it too? Swing down Bolivar to Taliaferro Street some time soon, and hope he isn’t off competing in some cage match BBQ smackdown, or being bred by his handlers. Now wouldn’t that be something?