In his early days when he was not working out on the Montana ranges, Russell passed his time hanging around the shops and saloons in several locales. One old cowboy remembered when Russell kept a studio in the back of a large beer hall in Great Falls and would sit at the tables and model small figures of animals. Some of these figures, once modeled, would be attached to bases and carefully painted. This little figure of a bull bawling, less than two inches high, is typical of Russell’s abilities as a sculptor, even on a very small scale. The artist first modeled the bull in wax, then affixed it with straight pins to a paperboard base before adding realistic touches of paint. Although the paint surface has become somewhat dry and wrinkled over time, the little animal still looks very lifelike and animated. Based on the stories that have come down to us, Russell must have made hundreds of similar figures like this for the amusement of his friends.