Portland sculptor Jim Gion, who was known for life-like bronzes of animals and public works of art, died unexpectedly on July 4. He was 71.

James Gregory Gion was born on Oct. 19, 1946, in Klamath Falls, and became interested in clay sculpture as a child. He attended Oregon State University before being drafted into the Navy in 1967.

In Vietnam, Gion worked as an interpreter. During his second tour, he met a Vietnamese sculptor who introduced him to bronze casting. After leaving the service in 1971, he completed his bachelor's degree at Oregon State and became certified as a teacher of English as a second language. Gion then returned to Asia, teaching English in Korea and Japan for a decade, while continuing to refine his sculpting style, working mostly in plaster and mixed media, according to his biography on his business website.

In 1984, he returned to Portland and opened his first studio in the Albina business district, where he built several small bronze foundries and made his own castings. His work during this period ranged from bronze busts of friends and relatives to a series of small sculptures inspired by the poses of working prostitutes.

In 1992, Gion created "Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience" a pair of bronze cylinders that are part of the Japanese American Historical Plaza at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

The cylinders depict Japanese-American residents of the Pacific Northwest, along with the disruption of their community when they were interned during World War II.

When the columns were unveiled, The Oregonian's art critic Randy Gragg described them in detail:

"The first shows immigration, the building of a community, farm labor and a grandfather holding a grandchild on his shoulders. The second column shows images of Japanese children with tags going to internment. Faces stare through barbed wire. A guard tower is in the distance. Another image shows the soldiers of the Japanese-American 442nd Regiment.

"Gion's images seem to both press against the columns' skin and yield a sense of deep space as though an entire world were held inside. The amazing textures afforded by bronze cast from clay models give the works the tactileness of skin, a profoundly human counterpoint to the normal, cold monumentality of columns."

Among Gion's highest-profile works are five life-size bronze sculptures of lions that were commissioned by Banfield Pet Hospital for the Oregon Zoo's Predators of the Serengeti exhibit, which opened in 2009. The pride includes a roaring male lion that's popular with zoo visitors for photos.

Over the years, he also completed bronze busts of prominent Portland citizens, including arts philanthropist Ronni Lacroute, businessman Robert Pamplin, and the drag queen Darcelle.

But he became best-known for his sculptures of dogs and cats in bronze and clay, many of them commissioned by pet owners. This phase of his career began in 1999 when a friend asked Gion to do a portrait of his dog. The customer was so pleased with the results that he suggested Gion display his works at dog shows.

In a 2005 profile, The Oregonian described Gion's studio in back of his Northeast Portland home, where clay figures of mastiffs, setters and terriers were everywhere.

While about 80 percent of his work was sculpting dogs, Gion said there wasn't a difference between doing head studies of animals or people.

"I care about that individual," he said. "If there is any meaning in this world, it resides in the individual relationship, with people or dogs."

Gion is survived by his wife Setsuko, daughters Moira and Laura, brothers John and Jeffry (Jackie) Gion. A memorial reception for close friends and family, including a display of some of Gion's work, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on July 21 at High & Low Gallery, 936 S.E. 34th St., Portland.

-- Grant Butler

503-221-8566; @grantbutler