The large rock sculpture of an elephant in front of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center is a fitting welcome for attendees to the annual Safari Club International convention taking place this week.
Dustin Rand, a Carson High graduate, is the creator of this 36,000-pound work of art he named Bertha.
"An elephant felt like a natural," Rand said. "We had this big rock that would be perfect, so we started painting on it to have lines to follow. Then we started drilling and grinding and cutting."
As founder of Safari Rockeries, Rand, who lives in Reno, uses rock to create decorations and water features for homes and businesses around the region. A large water feature in front of Carson Masonry and Steel on Highway 50 East is one of his works.
But Bertha the Elephant is part of a new departure for Rand, into artistic sculpture.
Another of his pieces is Stone Circle, which sits in front of the Whole Foods store in Reno. The large piece of basalt is 17 feet wide and 11 feet tall, with a 10-foot hole in the center which has water raining from the top.
Rand caught the bug for these sculptures when he visited a gallery in Seattle a year ago and talked to other rock sculptors.
"What was fun was their pieces were all the size of a person, and I thought I could do this on a bigger scale," Rand said.
It helps that this area is a good source for the large rocks Rand needs for his sculptures. Bertha the elephant began as a large piece of basalt from the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.
Safari Rockeries has about eight employees. But he's hoping these sculptures will give him a new pursuit.
"We haven't made a dime on yet," Rand said. "It's just a dream."
Contact reporter Kirk Caraway at kcaraway@nevadaappeal.com or (775) 881-1261.