Among the sculptures that decorated Dial's backyard in the mid-1980s were two large "whitetail" deer. The deer was a recurring symbol in Dial's earlier work, symbolizing the ability to avoid capture, to navigate the "jungle of the United States" with stealth and circumspection, and to use wits and agility to "go up in life." These two are constructed of tree roots and branches. One is covered with corrugated tin and painted with yellow ochre to imply rust, sulfur, and pollution: deer have to survive in the presence of urban industrial blight. The other deer is covered with window screen and painted with a camouflage jungle design. Even in its natural habitat, the deer is required to know survival tactics.
