practiced taxidermy, eventually building his own award-winning business, Custom Wildlife Creations. For eight years, Doug ran his taxidermy business while keeping his “day” job, and later went on to win a regional competition including taxidermy artists from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Doug had grown up with a keen eye for the splendid details of nature, and his artistic talent was recognized early on – he’d painted and illustrated wildlife since childhood – but taxidermy was where he gained a truly acute knowledge of wildlife anatomy.

His awards in taxidermy convinced him to return to art, choosing bronze wildlife sculpting as his full-time vocation in 1994. Doug is one of the fastest-rising talents in the world of wildlife sculpture today. In just the first seven years of his sculpting career, Doug received top national honors twice from the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS) – in 1999, he was awarded the prestigious title of “Artist of the Year,” and in 2001 he earned the People’s Choice “Best of Show.” He has earned numerous top awards and honors and high-profile artistic recognition as well as critical and commercial success for his lively, challenging compositions.

The common thread in all these situations is the absolute value he places on learning and doing everything to its greatest extent. From the earliest concept to the final forging in the foundry, Doug insists on the very best possible outcome in every detail, ultimately bringing a cherished work of art to his collectors.

Perhaps this insistence on quality is only one part of the charm of his representations, but it is here that the character of the man appears as surely as in the subjects themselves. The combination of sentiments, skill and uncompromising standards results in incredible beauty.

It’s also the way he lives. His personal code of conduct is immediately apparent in the way all conversations orbit back to his family, faith and his commitment to his core beliefs. To hear him talk about his wife Kay and his children Daniel and Mary Anna is to have your own faith restored in the American family and the power of the father as role model. Doug also lives out his beliefs through active participation in twelve conservation groups and his Life membership in six others.