March, 2006

Over the Rainbow -- Mitch S. Billis finished the clay the last week in March '06. This piece is scheduled to be installed on or around June 17th in Rifle, Colorado. Mitch has several other sizes of this particular piece, he's always wanted to do a monumental size, and this was the perfect opportunity. "I've never had so much fun sculpting in my life!" says Mitch. The enlargement, and sculpting took 5 months to complete, and the casting process will take an additional 3 months, "We should be right on schedule, as long as we can keep Mitch out of our hair for the next couple of months," says Scott Billis, Foundry Manager at Mitch's foundry, Northwest Art Casting, in Bozeman Montana. Stay tuned for updates as the piece moves along.

February 15, 2006

Mitch Billis was awarded first place in a Novel Workshop given by Dennis Lehane's, author of Mystic River. His story, The Bar-kid's Choice,, is based upon Mitch's experience in his father's bar when he was growing up, and will be published this summer in the inaugural issue of the literary journal, Sabal, sponsored by Writers' in Paradise, St. Petersburg FL.