"I love to experience raw nature, I live for it," he says. Whenever I feel as if I've been trapped in civilization for too long, I can't wait to touch the wilderness, taste it and smell it. When I'm in the backcountry gathering material for a new piece, this is how I empower myself to say something artistically."

Shinabarger's wildlife studies and monumental celebrations of big game animals have earned him honors and recognition from the National Sculpture Society, the Society of Animal Artists, and several prominent museums, distinctions rare for someone so young. Most recently in 2001, he was the recipient of the C. Percival Dietsch Award from the National Sculpture Society. He has also received the Louis Bennett Prize from the National Sculpture Society, the Elliot Liskin Award form the Society of Animal Artists, and the Tuffy Berg Memorial Award from the C.M. Russell Museum.

In order to convey the essence of his elusive subjects, Shinabarger says it is necessary to put himself in a position to directly observe them in the wild. Following in the footsteps of such pathfinders as Carl Rungius, Belmore Browne, Bob Kuhn, and Ken Bunn, Shinabarger makes regular pilgrimages into the wilderness to gather ideas for new material.

Shinabarger has extensive knowledge of animal behavior and a talent for conveying the personality of a subject, "neither of which can be learned in the studio alone," notes William Kerr, a trustee of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in an article on Shinabarger which appeared in "Southwest Art" magazine.

Indeed, be it the Brooks Range in remote Alaska where he has spent weeks trailing grizzly bears and migrating caribou; the Wrangle Range where he's ascended the rugged crags in search of Dall Sheep; the red rock canyons of Utah where he's plied the shadows in search of mule deer; or the vast greater Yellowstone ecosystem in his own backyard, where he's ambled after moose and majestic wapiti, Shinabarger's wanderings are tireless.

In turn, his bronzes can be described as timeless."Tim is one of the bright stars and he's creating wonderful things," sculptor Ken Bunn says. "He is doing something that a heck of a lot of guys don't do: He's living the experience of the outdoors that all of us are drawn to, and he's putting it into his work."


Source:
Todd Wilkinson

Sculptor and avid outdoorsman, Tim Shinabarger, began sculpting as a diversion while recuperating from a snowmobile accident on the Boulder River. Shinabarger also began to paint and was influenced by the work of wildlife artist Carl Rungius.

His jobs after college, as a ranger in the Custer National Forest, a firefighter in Yellowstone and as a guide and packer with the North Yellowstone Outfitters gave the artist plenty of material for his art.

The artist continues to be an avid backpacker often taking trips with his wife to unspoiled areas in the western United States. In 2001 the couple traveled above the Arctic Circle to the Kongakut River in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge.

Exhibitions:
Salmagundi Club, New York City
Western Rendezvous of Art, Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa Ok.
Masters of the American West, Autry Center, Los Angeles
The Wildlife Experience, Parker, Co

Museum collections:
Autry Center, Los Angeles, California
National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma

Awards:
2004 and 2005 James Earl Fraser Sculpture Award; Prix de West Invitational
2004 Robert Lougheed Memorial Award; Prix de West Invitational
2001 C. Percival Dietsch Award; National Sculpture Society
1999 Elliot Liskin Award; National Sculpture Award
1998 Louis Bennett Prize; National Sculpture Society

Periodicals:
2008 Western Art and Architecture
2007 Wildlife Art
2003 Sporting Classics
1998 Big Sky Journal

Sources:
Art of the West, January/February 2003
Additional information courtesy of the artist

At an early age, Tim Shinabarger developed an obsession with wildlife and wild places. He took a few art classes while attending Eastern Montana College, where he received a BA in business. He furthered his art education by attending workshops by prominent artists and studying the works of past masters. Shinabarger also has a background in taxidermy, and in the past worked as a guide, backcountry ranger, and forest-fire fighter.

Following in the footsteps of such pathfinders as Carl Rungius and Belmore Brown, Shinabarger makes regular pilgrimages into the wilderness to gather ideas for new works. In order to convey the essence of his elusive subjects, he says it is necessary to put himself in a position to directly observe them in the wild. Indeed, be it the Brooks Range in remotest Alaska where he has spent weeks trailing grizzly bears and migrating caribou; the Wrangle Range where he has ascended the rugged crags in search of Dall sheep; the red rock canyons of Utah where he has plied the shadows in search of mule deer; or the vast greater Yellowstone ecosystem in his own back yard, where he has ambled after moose and majestic wapiti, his wanderings fail to quench an endless thirst for wildlife and wild places.

Shinabarger's wildlife studies and monumental celebrations of big-game animals have earned him honors and recognition from the National Sculpture Society, the Society of Animal Artists, and several prominent museums. He received the James Earle Fraser Sculpture Award during the 2008 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition and Sale. He was also honored as the featured artist at the 2008 Gilcrease Rendezvous, and the National Museum of Wildlife Art has acquired his monument, Black Timber Bugler.

Source: Masters of the West Show (http://theautry.org/masters/2010/artist/Tim_Shinabarger)